Four North Dakota Colleges to Launch Women’s Flag Football Programs
- Four North Dakota institutions are collaborating to establish women's flag football programs and form a new regional competitive partnership, according to announcements made by participating colleges.
- Mayville State University will kick off varsity competition during the 2026–27 academic year, as reported by regional sports announcements.
- The collaborative effort arrives as women's flag football gains significant momentum nationwide.
Four North Dakota institutions are collaborating to establish women’s flag football programs and form a new regional competitive partnership, according to announcements made by participating colleges. Bismarck State College, Dickinson State University, Mayville State University, and Valley City State University are teaming up to expand athletic opportunities for women student-athletes within the Frontier Conference.
Timeline for Program Launch and Competition Schedules
Mayville State University will kick off varsity competition during the 2026–27 academic year, as reported by regional sports announcements. Meanwhile, Bismarck State College, Dickinson State University, and Valley City State University plan to introduce the sport through intramural competition in the spring of 2027. Those three institutions will use the intramural phase to build student interest before transitioning to varsity competition during the 2027–28 academic year. Beginning in the 2027–28 academic year, all four North Dakota schools plan to play against each other while also scheduling games against teams in neighboring states. According to conference materials, this creates an initial regional schedule and establishes a platform for the sport to expand throughout the Frontier Conference.
National Growth and Conference Expansion Goals
The collaborative effort arrives as women’s flag football gains significant momentum nationwide. The NAIA has approved women’s flag football as its 30th championship sport, with the inaugural NAIA national tournament scheduled for spring 2027 through a partnership with the National Football League. Additionally, the sport is slated to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Statistics from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association cited in regional coverage note that flag football ranks as the second fastest-growing team sport in the United States, seeing a 9.3% growth rate. Frontier Conference Commissioner Scott Crawford emphasized the importance of the regional initiative in an official release.
The growth of women’s flag football represents an exciting opportunity for our student-athletes and our institutions,
Frontier Conference Commissioner Scott Crawford Crawford also commended the four schools for laying a strong competitive foundation in the region and expressed hope that additional conference members will join as the sport develops. Under NAIA rules, conferences require a minimum of six varsity programs to secure an automatic berth into the national postseason tournament, making expansion beyond the initial four North Dakota schools a primary goal.
Exploring National Football League Partnerships
As the programs take shape on campus, the participating institutions intend to explore partnerships with an NFL organization to aid the launch and growth of women’s flag football across the state. According to program outlines, potential collaborations could bring added visibility, resources, and structured programming to introduce the sport to young women throughout North Dakota.
