The University of Illinois Springfield has announced a new addition to its sports team. The school will launch a women's flag football program starting play in the spring of 2027. It's the 18th varsity sport for the Division II school.
"We have watched the interest in this sport grow rapidly in the nation, in our state and in this region, and now look forward to providing an opportunity for women with a passion for flag football to continue to play the sport in college while earning a premier education in Central Illinois," said Mike Hermann, Director of Athletics.
Games will played at the new Scheel's Sports Park.
Two fellow Great Lakes Valley Conference schools have women's flag football teams. So UIS is likely to play as an independent to begin.
"Which is great because I'd love for us to play Illinois College and Millikin and the schools right in our vicinity to start developing some rivalries.," Hermann said.
Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports at both the high school and collegiate levels. In Illinois, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) added girls flag football in fall 2024, and after just two seasons, 224 schools now compete in the sport. Nationally, more than 69,000 high school girls play flag football, and 21 states piloted the sport at the high school level this year.
No Sangamon County high schools currently offer the sport.
"I talked with the some of the area high school athletic directors just this week." Hermann said. "It popped up this year in Champaign and Peoria and a few other surrounding areas, but it hasn’t happened in Springfield yet. So we see it as a chance for us to kind of take the lead in bringing women’s flag flag football to this community."
This is the first new sport added at UIS since 2015.
"We are always looking at sports to make sure we are offering opportunities for our students that are modern and preferred by today's generation," said Chancellor Janet Gooch. "Flag football is a perfect example of that."
Gooch said it will also help with the campus financial picture as students who come to play sports pay a portion of tuition and fees.
UIS is currently searching for a full-time coach.
Prospective players can fill out this form, and questions can be directed to Nicole Hager at nhage01s@uis.edu.
