Expanding Women’s Flag Football: Dawson, Massasoit, and St. Lawrence Lead

The landscape of women’s collegiate sports is changing fast, and flag football is right at the center of it. Colleges keep adding new teams, and you can just feel the momentum behind women’s flag football building.

This post takes a look at recent moves from Dawson Community College, Massasoit Community College, and St. Lawrence University, all of which are launching women’s flag football teams. These new opportunities for female athletes are part of a bigger trend—women’s sports programs are expanding at colleges all over the country.

Expanding Opportunities in Montana: Dawson Community College

Dawson Community College (DCC) in Montana is about to make history. It’s set to become the first collegiate varsity program and the first NJCAA school in the state to add a women’s flag football team.

Starting in the 2026-27 academic year, DCC will give female athletes a shot at competing at the varsity level. That’s a big deal for girls in Montana who love the sport but haven’t had many options.

A Vision for the Future

Chad Knudson, president of DCC, says it’s important to open up both educational and athletic opportunities for Montana students. There’s clearly more interest in girls’ flag football now, but not many colleges in the state have picked it up yet.

By blending athletic passion with a solid education, DCC hopes to help advance Montana’s workforce. That’s pretty much what the college is all about anyway.

Montana State University and the University of Montana do have student-run club teams. Still, DCC will be the first to offer a varsity program.

As part of the Mon-Dak Conference, DCC will also stand alone as the only school in the conference to sponsor women’s flag football. Maybe others will get inspired to follow suit.

Massachusetts Joins the Movement: Massasoit Community College

Massasoit Community College (MCC) in Massachusetts is getting involved too. They’re adding a women’s flag football team, but with a slightly different approach.

Unlike DCC, Massasoit will kick things off as a club team in the 2026-27 academic year. Then, if all goes well, they’ll transition to varsity status in 2027-28. Starting small gives them time to get things right before jumping into varsity competition.

Support and Growth

MCC is now the second NJCAA school in Massachusetts to offer flag football. Roxbury Community College got there first, competing for the first time in the 2025-26 academic year.

Massasoit’s program got a major boost from a grant provided by the NJCAA Foundation, NFL FLAG, and RCX Sports. Alexandria Technical and Community College (MN), Central Community College (NE), and Murray State College (OK) received the same grant for their new flag football programs.

Massachusetts is quickly turning into a hub for women’s flag football. By the 2026-27 academic year, six club and varsity programs are expected to compete.

Roxbury is still the only varsity team for now, but Dean College, Harvard University, UMass Dartmouth, and Westfield State University are all planning to move from club to varsity status by 2027-28.

New York’s Growing Flag Football Scene: St. Lawrence University

St. Lawrence University in New York is joining in by adding a varsity women’s flag football team for the 2027-28 academic year. They’re also launching a varsity women’s triathlon team, which shows a wider push to expand women’s athletics.

Investing in the Student Experience

President Kate Morris says the university wants to invest in the student experience. By adding women’s flag football and triathlon, St. Lawrence hopes to create more chances for women to compete, lead, and grow through varsity sports.

This move fits with the national momentum behind these sports. The university wants to serve today’s students while building a stronger future.

St. Lawrence will join other New York schools like Binghamton University, Manhattanville University, and Molloy University, all planning to add flag football teams by 2027-28.

The NCAA’s decision to add flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program in January 2026 really shows how fast the sport is catching on. Maybe we’ll see it become a championship sport soon.