Nebraska Makes History as First NCAA Power 4 Team to Launch Women’s Flag Football

A Power 4 school has formed a varsity women’s flag football team, only days after the NCAA added it to its Emerging Sports for Women program.

Nebraska announced Friday that it will adopt women’s flag football as its 25th varsity sport, making it the first Power 4 conference school to do so. The Cornhuskers said in a statement that they hope to recruit their first head coach by July and begin playing games in the 2028 season, the same year the sport makes its Olympic debut at the Summer Games in Los Angeles.

“This is a banner day for Nebraska Athletics and women’s sports,” Nebraska Athletic Director Troy Dannen said in a statement. “Flag football is one of the nation’s fastest growing sports and has exploded in popularity at the youth, high school and collegiate level.”

With the addition of Nebraska, there are now eleven Division I NCAA schools who have declared plans to create varsity women’s flag football programs. Other schools include Mount St. Mary’s, UT Arlington, Alabama State, Cal Poly, Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island University, Mercyhurst, Mississippi Valley State, and North Alabama.

Last year, the NCAA indicated that at least 65 schools from all divisions intended to sponsor women’s flag football at the varsity or club levels. Last spring, the Division III Atlantic East Conference hosted the first full varsity season of the sport and a conference tournament, with Marymount winning the championship.

Flag football is Nebraska’s first varsity sport since 2013, when it launched its beach volleyball program. Five other Big Ten schools have or plan to launch club teams for women’s flag football.

The NFL is one of the institutions driving the expansion of flag football, with all 32 teams funding youth and college programs in their respective areas. Troy Vincent, the NFL’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, praised Nebraska as “pioneers” for establishing the sport, saying it “marks a groundbreaking moment for collegiate athletics.”

The Eastern College Athletic Conference also announced the formation of a women’s flag football league, with the New York Jets investing $1 million through the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation. The league will start play next month.

Women’s flag football is a spring sport, and Nebraska plans to play 12 to 24 games per season. The Cornhuskers hope to have 15 players on the roster this fall, and then grow it to 20 to 25 by the time they begin playing in 2028. Nebraska stated the team may play some unofficial games in 2027.

Nebraska hosted an exhibition game versus NAIA Midland University as part of the Husker Games last spring. Following the game, Dannen hinted at the prospect of the Cornhuskers introducing the sport.

“From a Title IX standpoint, we’re going to have another women’s sport here at Nebraska, and I think women’s flag football is one of those sports that — I wanted to see it for myself. And a lot of fans came to watch it,” Dannen told the Husker Radio Network. “I think it’s something we should all keep a close eye on with women’s flag football.”

Before legislation is considered to allow women’s flag football to compete for NCAA championships, at least 40 schools must sponsor the sport on the varsity level. These teams would also have to achieve minimum game play and player participation requirements before the sport can establish its own NCAA Tournament.