Image via Eastern Michigan Athletics
Now coming to Eastern Michigan: more football.
Women’s flag football will be a new sport at EMU beginning next school year, the school announced today.
Let’s just get to the press release:
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Eastern Michigan University announced today, April 16, the addition of women's flag football as an intercollegiate varsity sport, expanding its commitment to growth and opportunity within the Department of Athletics. The announcement follows the NCAA's January 2026 designation of women's flag football as an Emerging Sport for Women.
With the addition, Eastern Michigan will sponsor 21 varsity programs, including 14 women's teams. Women's flag football joins recent additions, including lacrosse, which began competition in 2022-23, and women's lightweight rowing, set to begin in 2026-27.
The Eagles will begin flag football competition in the spring of 2027. A national search for a head coach will begin immediately, with roster construction to follow.
"Today marks a significant moment for Eastern Michigan Athletics and for women's sports," said EMU Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee. "Women's flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the nation, and its addition reflects our commitment to creating new opportunities for student-athletes at EMU. With the sport set to take center stage at the 2028 Olympic Games, we are proud to help lead its growth and to build a program our campus and community will embrace."
"Eastern Michigan's future is built on purpose, belonging, and opportunity," added EMU President Dr. Brendan Kelly. "The addition of women's flag football reflects the kind of strategic growth we are pursuing across the University, growth that welcomes more students into our Eastern community, strengthens alignment across campus, and extends EMU's impact throughout Michigan. This is a proud moment for our institution, and a clear example of how we are investing in new pathways for student success."
The sport's growth spans every level of competition. More than 20 million athletes play flag football worldwide, including 3.6 million youth participants in the United States between the ages of six and 17. The sport will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, further accelerating global visibility.
At the collegiate level, NCAA data from summer 2025 indicated that at least 40 schools planned to sponsor the sport, with projections reaching as many as 60 programs. Growth at the high school level has also surged. During the current academic year, 69,000 girls are participating, up from 11,000 in 2018-19, marking an average annual increase of 35 percent.
As an NCAA Emerging Sport, women's flag football is positioned to pursue championship status, with the potential for the first NCAA championship as early as spring 2028. The NCAA will host its inaugural collegiate championship event, the Fiesta Bowl Flag Football Classic, April 18-19 at Arizona State University.
Growth at the grassroots and professional levels also continues to accelerate. Flag football is now sanctioned at the high school level in 38 states. All 32 NFL teams support youth flag football initiatives in their markets, and league ownership has approved investment to develop a professional flag football league.
To be considered for NCAA championship status, a sport in the Emerging Sports for Women program must reach at least 40 varsity programs and meet competition and participation thresholds. Once those benchmarks are met, the NCAA governance process begins to establish a championship structure.
Flag football is a 7-on-7, non-contact sport played on an 80-by-40-yard field. Games consist of four 12-minute quarters. Players wear flag belts with two detachable flags and must cease forward motion when an opponent removes one of the flags. Teams score six points for a touchdown, with one or two-point conversion opportunities following each score.
The addition of women’s flag football means EMU is back up to 21 sponsored sports. Scott Wetherbee was hired in June of 2017, and by March 2018 he announced the immediate cuts of four sports: softball, men’s swimming and diving, wrestling, and women’s tennis.
I’m not going to recap the entire thing right here in this post, but you should know this if you’re unaware: drama ensued. The courts argued that EMU should reinstate the women’s teams, but the school wanted to have a lacrosse team instead. Tennis came back, and the lacrosse team is wrapping-up its fourth regular season. Next year, EMU will add women’s lightweight rowing and flag football.
According to Eastern’s most recent NCAA membership report, which The Ypsilanti Eleven has obtained through an open records request, 54.9% (284) of its 522 unduplicated total athletes play on women’s teams. During the 2025 fiscal year, EMU’s tennis team had the lowest total operating expense at $595,058 while recently-added lacrosse, with 34 participants to account for, had the school’s fourth-lowest amount of expenses at $956,551.
In January, the NCAA added flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program, which its website says is “intended to help schools provide more athletics opportunities for women and more sport-sponsorship options for schools, while helping that sport achieve NCAA championship status.”