A trio of NCAA Division II schools from North Carolina will debut women’s flag football as a varsity sport in 2025-26.
Chowan, Lees-McRae and Mount Olive will be part of the inaugural Conference Carolinas women’s flag football league, which will include at least six institutions when it starts play in the spring of ’26.
Conference Carolinas made the announcement Tuesday. Conference members Ferrum College (Va.), King University (Tenn.) and Emmanuel University (Ga.) also announced their intentions of fielding varsity teams.
“Conference Carolinas is excited to lead the way and become the first NCAA Division II conference to sponsor women’s flag football,” Chris Colvin, the commissioner of Conference Carolinas, said in a release. “With significant support from the National Football League (NFL), the sport is growing at the youth, high school and collegiate levels. We are excited to be on the front lines of giving females across the country another phenomenal competitive opportunity.”
Conference Carolinas follows the NCAA Division III Atlantic East Conference in offering varsity women’s flag football as a sanctioned sport. More than 20 NAIA schools sponsor the sport, along with seven from the NJCAA (junior college) level.
Lees-McRae and Mount Olive do not have varsity tackle football programs. Chowan’s tackle program has been around for decades and currently plays in the Gulf South Conference. The Hawks will shift their tackle program to Conference Carolinas in fall 2025.
“We are excited to announce the start of women’s flag football at Chowan University,” Patrick Mashuda, Chowan University’s Associate Vice President of Athletics, said in a release. “It will be a tremendous opportunity to bring more talented female student-athletes to Chowan and work with an NFL-backed initiative. We are looking forward to the type of energy that women’s flag football will bring to our campus, Conference Carolinas and the NCAA.”
Several states have debuted high school women’s flag football pilot programs in recent years, including North Carolina. Women’s flag leagues in Mecklenburg, Wake, Durham and New Hanover counties proved popular this past school year. The Carolina Panthers helped sponsor a 24-team flag football jamboree at Olympic High School this past spring.
Collegiate games will feature 7-on-7, and rosters will average around 25 players, according to the Conference Carolinas release. Each game will have four 12-minute quarters, and the field will measure 80×40 yards.
“Lees-McRae College is excited to be a part of the initial launch of Women’s Flag Football as varsity sport in Conference Carolinas,” said Kevin Phillips, Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management. “The fast growth of the sport worldwide will offer numerous young women a tremendous opportunity to continue their competitive athletic careers, and we look forward to being a part of it!”
Women’s flag football will represent the 25th varsity sport for Mount Olive.
“This provides Mount Olive an opportunity to join a sport that is quickly emerging around the country and in North Carolina while giving us the chance to showcase these female student-athletes at the collegiate level,” said Mount Olive athletic director Joey Higginbotham. “We expect these incoming student-athletes to accomplish our goals in the classroom and on the field. Conference Carolinas continues to provide an extraordinary environment for the growth of competitive intercollegiate athletics.”
