Marian University Adds Flag Football for Women

Marian University is the first Wisconsin higher education campus to offer Women’s Flag Football. Pictured from left to right from Marian Senior Woman Administrator, Compliance Officer, and Head Athletic Trainer Kim Sorenson; President Aaron Sadoff, Athletic Director Tony Draves; Marian Freshman from San Francisco Daniela Chaname; and Senior Vice President of University Relations Dr. George Koonce.
The popularity of flag football as an official sport for women is accelerating across the U.S. and Marian University is about to pick up the ball and run with it.
The Wisconsin-based, Catholic university is adding the sport to its roster and will begin playing in Spring of 2026.
“This is an exciting new opportunity for student-athletes at Marian,” said Athletic Director Tony Draves. “We already have two women’s soccer players, who played flag football in high school and are excited about the possibility of playing at the college level for Marian.”
In flag football, players wear flags attached to a belt that are pulled off- traditional tackling is not allowed. The non-contact sport has grown in popularity in large part to its safe and inclusive nature, allowing players of various sizes, ages, and genders a new opportunity to compete in football. It also does not have the equipment expenses associated with tackle football.
Marian has been working with the Green Bay Packers to develop Marian’s flag football program. The National Football League (NFL) has played a large role in the growth of flag football as well with the creation of NFL Flag. The NFL Flag program currently includes more than 1,600 teams featuring more than 600,000 athletes across the nation.
The International Olympic Committee announced in October 2023 that flag football will officially make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, fueling the growth of the sport.
At the collegiate level, 25 institutions sponsor flag football, with Marian joining Midwest universities including Rockford, Benedictine, and Illinois Wesleyan. Two NCAA Division III conferences have already announced the addition of the sport in the United East Conference and the Atlantic East Conference. Marian will be the first four-year institution in Wisconsin with women’s flag football. Bryant & Stratton, a two-year college in Milwaukee, which is a part of the NJCAA, also offers the sport. The NJCAA has sanctioned flag football since May of 2020.
“The addition of flag football to Marian’s already powerful line-up of athletics provides a unique opportunity to attract more students,” said Marian President Aaron Sadoff. “We think it will create a lot of excitement and a whole new fan base in our community, too.” Marian University currently has a national search to find a head coach for the new women’s flag football team.