TROY, N.Y. — Russell Sage College is actively recruiting athletes and coaches for its new all-female flag football team, set to launch in the fall. The initiative aims to attract students to the school, provide female students with new opportunities, and potentially gain national recognition.
Russell Sage junior Ciana Santana said, “I think it’s an awesome way to contribute like different people and like, having everyone just come together and playing like a sport that they never thought they could ever play before.”
Another junior, Aniyah Kelley, shared her perspective: “Growing up, in my community, women were so looked down on, so every chance I get, I try new things and try to prove people wrong.”
The idea for the team emerged after administrators learned about the growing popularity of female flag football at a conference last fall. The sport is gaining traction in high schools, and administrators see there’s a desire for women to continue playing at the collegiate level. Unlike traditional football, flag football does not require equipment; instead of tackling, players pull a flag from an opponent’s belt, and the game is played seven-on-seven on a smaller field. But in many ways, it’s just like the sport you see on TV in the fall. “Defensive play, you know, breaking down defensively and football is the same as it is in basketball and soccer, how you turn your hips, getting leverage on an offensive player,” said a Russell Sage College Director of Athletics Jim Lyons.
Currently, flag football is not recognized as a college sport. However, the Empire 8 Athletic Conference, an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division III, has embraced the sport. “Russell Sage, Hartwick, Geneseo, Brockport, and Elmira all are goin to be sponsoring teams,” said Lyons. That would mean they’ll play each other, have a conference championship and ultimately “Within two years or three years, we hope it’s an NCAA sponsored sport with a national championship to get to.”
To these women, that’s a touchdown.
The college is working to hire a coach by the end of the summer and has already received interest from dozens of students and potential students.