Binghamton University Adds Flag Football
TL;DR
Binghamton University's first new varsity sport in 25 years: The Bearcats announced women's flag football with the inaugural season set for spring 2028 — the program's first addition since men's and women's lacrosse joined the roster during the university's 2001 move to NCAA Division I.
NCAA momentum is accelerating rapidly: The NCAA officially designated women's flag football as an Emerging Sport for Women in January 2026, and the response has been swift — more than 60 varsity college programs already existed in 2025-26, with 50+ more schools across all three NCAA divisions planning to launch teams in the coming years, including Binghamton's future ECAC conference rivals.
A sport with explosive growth from youth to the Olympics: High school girls' flag football participation surged 60% in the 2024-25 season to nearly 70,000 players, more than 40 states now sponsor varsity high school programs, and the sport's debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics is poised to drive participation even higher — backed by all 32 NFL teams and an estimated 20 million players worldwide.
Binghamton University made a historic announcement on February 20, 2026, revealing that it will add women's flag football as its 22nd varsity sport, with the inaugural season set for spring 2028. The addition marks the first new sport the Bearcats have introduced in 25 years, since men's and women's lacrosse were added alongside the university's 2001 move to NCAA Division I and America East membership. The program will bring Binghamton's intercollegiate offerings to a perfectly balanced 11 men's and 11 women's sports. The new team will practice and compete at the Bearcats Sports Complex East Field, the same facility used by the soccer and lacrosse programs, and the season will run from January to May with a total of 12 games.
Director of Athletics Eugene Marshall, Jr. opened the announcement ceremony with enthusiasm, saying, "This is a great day to be a Bearcat. When you look at the continuous outlook of intercollegiate athletics and how it continues to evolve, and sometimes not in a good way, we have been monitoring it very closely here at Binghamton University. And with that in mind, a collective decision has been made to add our 22nd varsity sport, which will be women's flag football." University President Anne D'Alleva emphasized the program's forward-looking vision, noting that the athletics department will spend the next two years building infrastructure, hiring a head coach, and recruiting student-athletes before the first official game tips off in 2028. The move was also praised by regional NFL partners, with the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and New York Giants all voicing support for the expansion of women's flag football in the state.
The NCAA officially added flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program in January 2026, and the momentum since has been striking. At the collegiate level, more than 60 varsity programs and 100 club teams were already offered by NCAA schools in the 2025-26 academic year, and more than 50 additional NCAA schools across all three divisions are expected to launch varsity programs in the coming years. The NCAA will sponsor its inaugural flag football championship, the Fiesta Bowl Flag Football Classic, in April 2026 at Arizona State, and Binghamton will be eligible for postseason consideration immediately upon beginning competition in 2028. In the Northeast, several familiar Bearcat opponents — including LIU, FDU, Mercyhurst, Sacred Heart, and Saint Joseph's — have already added programs, and Binghamton is exploring an affiliation with the ECAC, which is rapidly becoming a hub for collegiate flag football competition.
The explosive growth of flag football extends well beyond college campuses. According to data cited by President D'Alleva at the announcement, the National Federation of State High School Associations found that girls' flag football participation in American high schools grew by 60 percent in the 2024-2025 season, with nearly 70,000 participants. More than 40 states now sponsor high school girls' varsity flag football, and in the Binghamton area alone, 17 Section IV high schools compete, while Central New York fielded 12 Section III teams in 2025. Globally, the sport counts an estimated 20 million players, and all 32 NFL teams actively support youth flag football programming in their regional markets — creating a robust pipeline from youth leagues to high school to college competition. The sport's inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics is expected to accelerate participation even further, lending international legitimacy to a sport that has long thrived at the grassroots level.