Ithaca College plans to launch women’s varsity flag football in spring 2028 with a roster of 12 to 16 players and a targeted 12-game schedule.
The college has opened a national search for a full-time head coach, who will spend the rest of the 2026-27 academic year recruiting players and building the program, according to a college announcement.
The team will play seven-on-seven football. Ithaca expects to recruit six to eight incoming students and find another six to eight players among current students through organized campus outreach.
The first season is expected to run from early March through April 2028. Home games will be played at Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium, while conference affiliation has not yet been determined.
New opportunities on and off the field
The addition will create opportunities beyond the roster, including experience for students in athletic training and sports media. Intramural flag football will continue as a recreation option for other students.
Sierra Gabriel, a junior sports media major in the Park School of Communications and a sideline reporter for ICTV football broadcasts, said the program will give female athletes another way to compete and gain visibility.
“Bringing women’s flag football into the fold captures the versatility of women,” Gabriel said. “We can dominate on the court, in the pool, on the track and on the field.”
College President La Jerne Cornish said a new team also offers students more ways to put classroom learning into practice. Athletics Director Aaron Bouyea said the program is intended to expand women’s access to varsity competition while building a strong student-athlete experience.
Brian Flinn, a 1996 Ithaca graduate and the NFL’s senior vice president of global flag football, welcomed the addition. He said college programs create opportunities for women to continue playing, pursue academic goals and develop leadership skills as the sport expands internationally.
College and high school programs are growing
Ithaca said girls’ high school flag football participation grew more than 550% nationally over four years, citing an analysis of National Federation of State High School Associations data. More than 250 New York high schools participate, and the state holds an annual championship.
Ten other NCAA Division III institutions in New York sponsor or have announced women’s flag football programs: Brockport, Elmira, Geneseo, Hartwick, Russell Sage, St. John Fisher, St. Lawrence, Union, Utica and William Smith. Some already compete, while others plan varsity debuts before or during Ithaca’s first season.
In January 2026, representatives of all three NCAA divisions voted to include flag football in the Emerging Sports for Women program, a pathway toward championship status.
The divisions are expected to consider legislation establishing a National Collegiate Flag Football Championship in January 2027. If approved, the first championship could take place in spring 2028, the same year the sport makes its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles Games.
The college will provide coaching search updates, student opportunities and team announcements through Ithaca College Athletics as preparations continue for the inaugural season.
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