Biola University announced today the addition of women’s flag football as its newest NCAA Division II varsity sport. Flag football is reshaping the collegiate athletics landscape with its rapid growth and popularity, and Biola will be among the first faith-based institutions to bring it to campus at the varsity level. The Biola women’s flag football team will become the university’s 18th varsity sport and 10th women’s program, with its inaugural season beginning in the 2027-2028 academic year.

“This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for Biola Athletics and for the young women who will become the foundation of this program,” said Dr. Bethany Miller, associate vice president for Student Development and senior director of Athletics. “We believe Biola is uniquely positioned to enter women’s flag football at an important moment in the growth of the sport.

The sport’s growth has been especially significant in California. Girls flag football participation has surged across the state since becoming a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) -sanctioned sport, creating an expanding pool of experienced student-athletes seeking opportunities to continue competing at the collegiate level.

“We want to recruit talented young women who are serious about competing at a high level and who are equally excited about being part of a Christ-centered community where they can grow in their faith, their relationships, their academics and their calling,” said Miller. “Our first coach and our first student-athletes will have the rare opportunity to establish the culture and identity of a program from the ground up.”

Biola’s addition of the sport also comes amid significant national momentum for women’s flag football. The NCAA added women’s flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program in January 2026, and continued growth in collegiate sponsorship has moved the sport toward an established NCAA championship. The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will mark flag football’s Olympic debut, featuring both men’s and women’s tournaments and bringing the sport’s largest international stage to Southern California shortly after Biola’s inaugural season.

A national search for Biola’s first head women’s flag football coach will begin shortly. The new head coach will spend the 2026–27 academic year recruiting the team’s founding class, establishing the program’s culture and competitive identity, building its schedule and preparing for the arrival of student-athletes in fall 2027. Biola’s first season of competition will follow in spring 2028.

The timing provides the new coaching staff with a full recruiting cycle to identify student-athletes interested not simply in joining a new team, but in helping create the culture.

“This is an opportunity to be a first,” said Miller. “The women who choose Biola will forever be the founding class of this program. They will establish its traditions, shape its culture and set the standard for everyone who follows them. We are excited to find student-athletes who are energized by that opportunity and who want their college experience to develop them as competitors, students, and followers of Christ.”

Additional information about Biola Women’s Flag Football, including the hiring of the program’s first head coach and recruiting opportunities for prospective student-athletes, can be found on Biola Athletics. Prospective student-athletes interested in becoming members of the founding Biola Women’s Flag Football team may submit their information using the Biola Women’s Flag Football recruiting questionnaire.

Biola Athletics develops student-athletes through a commitment to the core values of Faith, Formation and Fierce, encouraging student-athletes to pursue Christ-centered growth while competing with excellence. Join Biola’s thriving community and apply today.

Written by Sarah Dougher, strategic communication manager. For more information, contact beacon@biola.edu.