An NCAA committee recommended on Wednesday adding flag football to its emerging women’s sports program, a significant step toward it becoming an officially sponsored championship sport in all three divisions.

The NCAA said at least 65 schools are already sponsoring flag football at either the club or varsity level, with more moving in that direction. With a push from the NFL, flag football also has been added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The NFL has vigorously promoted flag football for several years, including starting a global ambassador program in 2022. Domestically, the league and its teams have been pushing for flag football to be sanctioned as a varsity sport in high schools around the country.

Once in the NCAA’s emerging women’s sports program, flag football would need a minimum of 40 schools sponsoring it at the varsity level and meet minimums in games played and player participation to be considered for NCAA championship status.

The NCAA’s emerging women’s sports program was created to help facilitate more opportunities for women and give schools more opportunities to sponsor teams.

The last sport to move through the program was women’s wrestling, which was approved last month to become the NCAA’s 91st championship sport. The first women’s wrestling championship will be held in 2026.

Five other sports are currently in the program: acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian, rugby, stunt and triathlon. Five sports have previously emerged from the program to earn NCAA championship status: rowing (1996), ice hockey (2000), water polo (2000), bowling (2003) and beach volleyball (2015).

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