GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Thiel College will field a women’s flag football team in spring 2026, Director of Athletics Isaac Collins announced Tuesday morning.
Thiel becomes the sixth Presidents’ Athletic Conference school to offer women’s flag football.
“Introducing women’s flag football reflects our commitment to growing opportunities for student-athletes and staying ahead of the curve in collegiate athletics,” Collins said. “This sport is expanding rapidly nationwide, and we’re proud to give our students a chance to be part of that growth here at Thiel.”
Nationally, flag football has experienced significant growth at the high school and collegiate levels. In February, the NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics recommended that Divisions I, II and III sponsor legislation to add women’s flag football to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. There is a vote scheduled at the 2026 NCAA Convention to formally recognize women’s flag football as an emerging sport in DIII.
At the high school level, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association sanctioned flag football as an official varsity sport with more than 125 schools fielding teams last season.