Story provided by USC Upstate Athletics Department
Expanding its varsity sport offerings, USC Upstate athletics announced Wednesday the addition of women’s flag football as the university’s 18th varsity program with anticipated competition beginning during the 2026-27 academic year.
“The addition of women’s flag football as our 18th varsity sport is an exciting milestone for USC Upstate Athletics and a powerful reflection of the momentum and innovation happening across our campus. Women’s flag football is experiencing incredible growth nationwide, and we are proud to be part of that movement while creating new and meaningful opportunities for women to compete at the varsity level,” remarked Director of Athletics Matt Martin. “Announcing this on National Girls & Women in Sport Day underscores our commitment to creating pathways that empower female student-athletes now and into the future.”
“Flag football is becoming one of the most popular sports in the country, with more than 2.4 million kids under 17 playing in the United States and an Olympic debut set for the 2028 games,” said USC Upstate Chancellor Bennie L. Harris, PhD. “Girls and women represent a skyrocketing segment. USC Upstate is committed to giving them a place to play and compete at a high level.”
Women’s flag football was approved and added to the Emerging Sports for Women program by representatives of all three NCAA Divisions at the 2026 NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C. The program is intended to help schools provide more athletic opportunities for women and more sport sponsorship options, while helping that sport achieve NCAA championship status.
Since the program’s inception in 1994, eight sports have successfully become NCAA championship sports, including rowing (1996), ice hockey (2000), water polo (2000), bowling (2003), beach volleyball (2015) and women’s wrestling (2025) with two other emerging sports, acrobatics and tumbling, and stunt, becoming NCAA Championship sports during the 2026-27 academic year.
“Launching Women’s Flag Football at Upstate is a huge moment for our campus and for athletics! On National Girls and Women in Sports Day, it’s especially exciting to celebrate the continued growth, opportunity, and momentum behind women’s sports. I fully believe that this is the future and I’m so proud that Upstate is a part of it,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, Sarah Gildersleeve Jones. “I cannot wait to partner with our future head coach and student-athletes as we bring this fast-growing sport to the Upstate!”
Sports in the Emerging Sports for Women program must have a minimum of 40 schools sponsoring the sport at the varsity level and meet minimum contest and participation requirements to be considered for NCAA championship status. Flag football’s immediate addition to the program means schools sponsoring the sport in the 2026 spring season can count toward the 40-school threshold required to establish a National Collegiate Championship, provided they meet the minimum requirements.
Currently, 24 NCAA Division I athletic departments and institutions sponsor women’s flag football at the varsity or club level. USC Upstate is one of 14 NCAA Division I athletic departments to announce intentions to sponsor women’s flag football at the varsity level.
One of the fastest-growing sports in the United States at the youth, interscholastic, and collegiate levels, flag football participation has grown exponentially in the past few years. Seventeen states sanction girls’ flag football as a varsity sport at the interscholastic level, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee, with 17 additional states offering pilot programs as of Sep. 2025, including North Carolina. Several communities and school districts in South Carolina have begun pilot programs as well.
“The launch of a women’s flag football program at the University of South Carolina Upstate marks an exciting moment for collegiate athletics,” said Jesse Schulman, NFL Manager of Flag Football. “By embracing this opportunity, USC Upstate is helping accelerate the growth of flag football and developing a pathway to the sport for female student-athletes. Their 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’s popularity and growth are also signified by its addition to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles following approval by the International Olympic Committee in 2023.
USC Upstate women’s basketball and women’s track & field alum Isabella Geraci represents the United States on the Women’s National Team, earning selection in 2024. She helped the USA to International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Championship gold in 2024, totaling 39 receptions, 464 yards, five touchdowns, and seven extra points during the team’s undefeated, 8-0, run.
A national search for the program’s inaugural head coach will begin immediately. To apply for the position, APPLY HERE
To donate to the USC Upstate Flag Football Program: DONATE HERE
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