If there is one sport that is slowly making its way into the spotlight, it is women’s flag football. Despite being fast and full of flair, the game has never been the headline. As women’s sports continue to fight for equal footing, flag football proves it can offer something fresh, inclusive, and wildly competitive.
It’s already booming at the youth level, and more and more schools are waking up to its potential. And now, one bold Division I program has decided to step into it.
UT Arlington Takes the Lead as First D1 School to Embrace Women’s Flag Football
UT Arlington just called the game. In a move that could change Texas’s college football landscape forever, the Mavericks announced they’re adding women’s flag football as a varsity sport starting in 2027. This makes them the first NCAA Division I school in Texas to go all-in. But only the fifth in the nation officially does so.
𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋…
Women’s Flag Football is coming in 2027 👀#BuckEm🐎 x @UTArlington pic.twitter.com/KKiBwBeZoE
— UTA Athletics (@UTAMAVS) May 15, 2025
This move is history in motion. In a post announcement, UT Arlington President Dr. Jennifer Cowley even said, “We are so thrilled to be able to announce that we are Texas’s first NCAA Division I school to offer varsity flag football for women.” It is a vision in the making.
UTA took the opportunity without a second thought, especially with the Olympics bringing flag football into the global arena in 2028. This will also be the first time in 40 years that any football will be played at Maverick Stadium.
UTA last had a men’s tackle team in 1985. The revival comes with a new face and a fresh energy led by women, for women. This is also the first new sport for UTA since women’s golf was introduced in 2017.
Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Jon Fagg is thinking long term. “It’s set to become an NCAA emerging sport here shortly… Ideally, we’ll be the first to start major schools, Division I institutions to begin adding the program, and we’ll have a conference, hopefully in a few years.”
It is bold, of course, but it is also supported by momentum. With over 500,000 girls aged 6-17 already playing flag football nationwide and 14 states sanctioning it at the high school varsity level, the wave is here. And UTA seems to be riding it. However, UTA is not the only one.
KEEP READING: NFL and Olympics Fuel a Flag Football Invasion That Could Reshape College Football
Schools like Mount St. Mary’s, Alabama State, Long Island, and Mercyhurst have also taken varsity. However, UTA is the first from the Western Athletic Conference and the first ever in Texas at the D-I level. Recruitment is already on UTA’s radar.
The Mavericks will hire a coaching staff later this year and begin signing players. By 2027, the Stadium, which holds 12,000 fans, will be seeing women in blue. As flag football gears up for a future on the Olympic stage, UTA has planted its flag firmly on the turf. In doing so, it’s created a new path for women athletes in Texas to chase the dream—no tackles required.
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