Westfield State adds women’s flag football for 2027 varsity debut

Westfield State University added women’s flag football for the 2027-28 academic year on July 1, making the Owls the first school in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference to sponsor the sport at the varsity level. The program is slated to run as a club in spring 2027 before moving into varsity competition in spring 2028.

Athletics director Richard Lenfest Jr. expects the roster to reach 20 to 24 athletes within three seasons. President Linda Thompson said the addition of flag football and men’s swimming and diving builds on Westfield State’s athletic tradition and opens new opportunities for students to compete, lead and grow. Thompson, who has led the university since 2021, is the school’s 21st president and its first Black female president.

The men’s swimming and diving program will join Westfield State’s existing women’s team at Ely Pool, giving the school a paired program on campus.

The New England Patriots’ girls high school flag football league started in 2023 with eight teams, grew to 23 teams in 2024 and reached 56 schools within three years, according to team materials. Team materials say more than half of girls flag athletes have never played a team sport. The Patriots also staged the 2026 girls high school championship at Merrimack College, where Boston Cathedral won Division III, Fitchburg took Division II and St. Mary’s of Lynn claimed its third straight Division I title.

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference held its 2026 girls flag football championships on May 31 at Windsor High School, with Manchester winning the Class L title and Plainville taking Class M.

Flag football was added to the NCAA’s Emerging Sports for Women program in January 2026, and in May the NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact recommended it for championship status. If the divisions approve the change, the first NCAA championship could be held in spring 2028, the same season Westfield State plans to debut as a varsity program. Dean College announced a women’s flag football club in 2026 before a transition to NCAA competition in 2027-28.