(This story was originally published on csusports.com.)
The Charleston Southern University Athletic Department announced on Tuesday afternoon the addition of Women’s Flag Football as a varsity intercollegiate sport to be added to the university’s offerings. Their first competitive season will be in the spring of 2028. This will bring the total varsity sport program count to 17, while the women’s athletics teams count grows to 10. Women’s Flag Football becomes the first varsity sport to be added to the university since women’s soccer in the fall of 1993.
The move makes the Buccaneers the 14th NCAA Division I athletic department to announce they will be sponsoring flag football at the varsity level. Earlier this month, the University of Nebraska was the latest to announce plans to add the sport, becoming the first Power 4 school to declare its intention.
On January 16, the NCAA announced that women’s flag football was added to the Emerging Sports for Women program. That vote makes way for the sport to be eligible to pursue championship status and host its first as soon as the spring of 2028.
“It is with great anticipation and excitement that today we announce the addition of women’s flag football to our current 16 Division 1 sports department,” said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Jeff Barber. “As an NCAA emerging sport for women, flag football has experienced monumental growth over the past couple of years. We are thrilled about this for our campus and the community. We look forward to building this program that will assist with Title IX requirements, and at the same time provide an outstanding academic and athletics experience for future Charleston Southern University student athletes.”
As of the summer of 2025, NCAA sponsorship data showed that more than 40 schools across all divisions planned to sponsor the sport in the 2025-26 academic year. The NCAA is continuing to expect increases in sponsorship, including the possibility of as many as 60 schools announcing plans to participate in the sport next spring.
“The addition of women’s flag football to Division 1 sports at CSU expands opportunities and positions CSU to attract the best and brightest talent in this rapidly growing sport,” said CSU President B. Keith Faulkner. “As the first Big South Conference school to make this announcement, we are proud to lead the way and help shape the future of women’s athletics in our conference.”
Currently, the growth of flag football has happened the most in the high school level. There are 17 states that have it sanctioned by their high school league, including nearby states of Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. There are another 21 in the piloting phase for the sport, which includes South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
Additionally, it is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, with it set to make its Olympic debut in 2028 at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics. In terms of players, there are 20 million worldwide, with 3.6 million of these in the United States between the ages of six and 17. At the high school level, this academic year has seen 69,000 girls play the sport. In the 2018-2019 academic year, the number was 11,000 and has growth by a 35% annual average since then.
“The launch of Charleston Southern University’s women’s flag football program marks an exciting step forward for collegiate athletics,” said Jesse Schulman, NFL Manager of Flag Football. “By embracing this opportunity, CSU is helping accelerate the growth of flag football and expanding access to the sport for female student-athletes. This launch sends a strong message about the future of the game and the growing momentum behind women’s flag football, creating new opportunities for young women to compete and succeed at the collegiate level.”
“Women’s flag football is creating one of the most important new pipelines in sports today, not just for competition, but for leadership, education and long-term opportunity,” said Izell Reese, CEO of RCX Sports. “When universities like Charleston Southern step forward at the varsity level, it sends a clear signal to young women that this sport has a real future. Programs like this accelerate access, scholarships and visibility, and ultimately help legitimize flag football as a sustainable pathway from youth to college and beyond.”
Recently, NFL clubs voted to support the development and launch of a professional flag football league financially. All 32 NFL clubs support and participate in youth flag football programming in their home markets and beyond, further strengthening the sport’s reach and appeal among the next generation of athletes.
To be considered for an NCAA championship legislatively, sports in the Emerging Sports for Women program must be sponsored at the varsity level by at least 40 schools, based on the NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates data, and must meet their minimum competition and participant requirements. If legislation is adopted, the NCAA governance structure works to establish a championship. That process can take two years or longer to work through logistics such as budgeting, site selection and other details.
Charleston Southern Flag Football Q&A
- When will the first season of Charleston Southern Flag Football be played?
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The academic year of 2027-28.
- When is the women’s flag football season played and how many games will be played?
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Women’s flag football is a spring sport. There will be a minimum of 12 games per season (maximum is 24).
- Will Charleston Southern recognize this as a varsity sport, and will student-athletes receive scholarships and athletic department support?
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Yes, this will be Charleston Southern’s 17th varsity sport, 10 for women and 7 for men. Flag football is the first sport Charleston Southern has added since women’s soccer in the fall of 1993. Women’s flag football students will receive and have access to the same student-athlete support services as other Buccaneer student-athletes.
- When do you plan to hire a coach?
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The nationwide search for the program’s first Head Coach will begin immediately with the plan to have them in place as soon as possible.
- What schools do you expect Charleston Southern to play?
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With the NCAA’s announcement of flag football as an emerging sport, it is expected that several schools will add this as a varsity sport in the coming months. Charleston Southern can now begin discussing a schedule for the inaugural season, starting with Division I schools with existing flag football programs, and engaging with other programs as they add the sport.
- Where will you play home games?
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The plan is for games to be played on the CSU intramural field.
- What is the size of the playing field?
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The playing field for flag football is 80 x 40 yards.
- What are the playing rules?
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Games consist of 4, 12-minute quarters.
Players wear flag belts with sockets and 2 pop-up flags on either side of their hips. Teams score 6 points for a touchdown, and after a TD can gain an extra 1 or 2 points with a set play from the 5 or 10-yard line.
