CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Big South Conference will be the first league in Division I sponsoring women’s flag football as its 19th sport starting with the 2027-28 year.

Big South Commissioner Sherika A. Montgomery said Tuesday that the sport had been approved by the league’s council of chief executive officers. The NCAA added flag football to its emerging sports for women program in January.

“With five full-time members formally stepping forward to launch Women’s Flag Football programs, the momentum reached a defining moment — opening the door for the Big South to lead and elevate one of the fastest-growing sports in the country,” Montgomery said.

Those Big South members are Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, Radford, UNC Asheville and USC Upstate who have received support from the NFL launching its programs. The Big South will have a mix of club and varsity-level sponsorship for women’s flag football in 2026-27 with a plan for the league’s first varsity championship in the spring of 2028.

Flag football for men and women will make its Olympic debut in 2028 at the Los Angeles Games, and it’s one of the fastest-growing sports at the youth, high school and collegiate levels.

About 40 NCAA schools featured women’s flag football teams in 2025 with 60 projected for this spring. Nebraska will be the first power conference school with flag football as a varsity women’s sport starting play in the spring of 2028.

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This story has been corrected to show that the Big South announced the addition of women’s flag football on Tuesday, not Thursday.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports