SUNY Brockport announced the addition of women’s flag football as the university’s 24th varsity sport on February 10, becoming one of the first institutions in the region to offer the rapidly-growing sport at the collegiate level.
A nationwide search for the program’s first head coach is now underway and Brockport will begin competition beginning in the 2025-26 academic year. Brockport joins four other Empire 8 Conference schools – SUNY Geneseo, Hartwick College, Elmira College and Russell Sage College – in launching women’s flag football programs.
“Millions of people watched some of the finest athletes in the world compete in the Super Bowl Sunday. But until recently, participation in the game of football was primarily open only to men. I’m so pleased that SUNY Brockport is on the forefront of opening the game to women and I can’t wait to watch our Golden Eagles compete in women’s flag football at the varsity level next season,” said SUNY Brockport President Heidi Macpherson.
On Brockport’s campus, women’s flag football is currently offered as a club sport that has 42 active members, practices three times a week and will participate in two tournaments and two games starting March 14. Adding to the momentum of the world’s fastest growing sport, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s girls’ flag football offering is expected to exceed 200 teams next spring. Thirty schools in New York State’s Section V offered girls flag football last spring, including several schools located in Monroe County.
“We are thrilled to expand our varsity athletics offerings with the addition of women’s flag football,” said Dr. Erick Hart, Brockport Director of Athletics. “This is an exciting opportunity to provide more female student-athletes with a chance to compete at a high level while growing a sport that continues to gain momentum nationwide. We look forward to building a championship-caliber program that will make an immediate impact.”
Brockport’s decision to add women’s flag football further strengthens its commitment to gender equity in athletics and enhances opportunities for female student-athletes to compete at the collegiate level. The program will provide a new pathway for student-athletes interested in football, further expanding Brockport’s rich athletic tradition.
An informational session for SUNY Brockport students regarding the addition of women’s flag football at Brockport was held February 13.
Current and prospective students interested in learning more about Brockport flag football can choose from the following:
•Current college student interest form https://gobrockport.com/sb_output.aspx?form=84
•Prospective high school student interest form https://gobrockport.com/sb_output.aspx?form=85
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