PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University Department of Athletics and Recreation has announced the launch of women's flag football as the school's newest varsity sport offering, beginning play in the spring of 2028.

"I am excited to add Women's Flag Football to our athletic sponsorship," said Julene Caulfield, associate vice president of athletics and recreation. "This is a rapidly growing sport at the high school, collegiate and Olympic level that will create new opportunities for female student-athletes to compete, lead and be a part of the Valiant Family."

Flag football will become Manhattanville's 24^th varsity offering, with the Valiants competing in the sport in the Skyline Conference. Manhattanville will become the fifth school to field a flag football team in the Skyline, joining Saint Joseph's Long Island, Saint Joseph's Brooklyn, Mount Saint Mary and Old Westbury.

Manhattanville has continued to increase its athletic offerings over the past four years after previously adding men's volleyball as a varsity sport in 2023 alongside fielding junior varsity teams for baseball, men's basketball and men's soccer since 2022.

The Skyline held its inaugural flag football conference championship in fall, with the Golden Eagles of Saint Joseph's Long Island capturing the title. The conference began sponsoring the sport in the spring of 2025 with Saint Joseph's Brooklyn, Saint Joseph's Long Island and Mount Saint Mary fielding teams for the first season before Old Westbury joined the ranks this year.

Flag Football was added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program at the 2026 NCAA Convention this past January, following the rapid growth of the sport across the nation at youth, high school and collegiate level. The sport's popularity is further highlighted by being added to the 2028 Summer Olympic games. Girls high school flag football participation grew 105 percent year over year, surpassing 42,000 athletes nationwide, per Coach & A.D.

The NCAA reported that as of summer 2025, at least 40 institutions planned to sponsor varsity flag football for the 2025-26 academic year. That number is expected to grow significantly following the addition of flag football as an emerging sport. A minimum of 40 schools sponsoring the sport at the varsity level while meeting minimum contest and participation requirements are required for emerging sports to be considered for NCAA championship status.

The Manhattanville Department of Athletics aims to hire the first coach of the women's flag football program in the summer of 2026 to begin recruiting and field a team ahead of the 2028 season. More information for interested candidates will be available in the coming weeks.

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