Pennsylvania College of Technology joined the United East Conference in announcing the anticipated addition of women's flag football as an intercollegiate and conference-sponsored sport beginning in 2025-26.
The United East becomes the second Division III conference to announce its sponsorship of women's flag football (Atlantic East) and the third conference among all divisions in the NCAA (Conference Carolinas).
In addition to Penn College, the league will have at least four institutions participating at the club level in spring 2025, including Gallaudet University, Keystone College, Lancaster Bible College and Rosemont College.
"We're excited to add another opportunity for women to participate in collegiate athletics," Penn College Director of Athletics Scott Kennell said. "The combination of the growth of flag football at the high school level, and the anticipated approval of women's flag football as an NCAA Emerging Sport, encouraged us to make this decision."
The United East will assist in coordinating club-level competition with its five new programs in spring 2025. Once elevated to the varsity level, women's flag football will become the 21st sport sponsored by the United East and the 16th intercollegiate sport at Penn College, with the first projected conference championship to be hosted in spring 2026.
"There is undoubted momentum and growth in women's flag football, and we are extremely excited to begin sponsoring this sport in the United East," shared United East Commissioner Stephanie Dutton. "The interest and engagement in women's flag football is exploding in our conference's geographic footprint and we are eager to begin offering young women the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level."
In 2024-25, it is anticipated that upwards of 15 NCAA institutions will be competing at the varsity level across all three divisions. At the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics level, there are 24 institutions currently participating in women's flag football and 12 at the National Junior College Athletic Association level.
At the high school level, 13 states currently sanction women's flag football, including Pennsylvania, and over the last five years, participation in high school girls’ flag football has grown by nearly 15 percent. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association sanctioned girls' flag football in September and will have 63 high schools competing in the sport this spring.
The NFL is a huge supporter of the growth of flag football. Numerous NFL facilities and stadiums have been utilized for competitions and clinics, while several players have attended and engaged with athletes to grow the sport. Across the country this past year, more than 700,000 youth took part in NFL FLAG leagues, with nearly 500,000 of those athletes being female, and 13 states have now sanctioned girls’ flag football as championship sports, thanks to the work of the NFL and RCX Sports, the official operator of NFL FLAG.
For more on Wildcats Athletics, visit the website.
For additional information on United East, visit the conference website.