A football and pair of cleats sit before a press conference May 15 at College Park Center. UTA will be the fifth NCAA Division I university nationwide to add women’s flag football.
For the first time since the ’80s, football is returning to UTA. However, it will not be in the fashion that people expected.
UTA President Jennifer Cowley announced Thursday that women’s flag football will join campus athletics as a varsity sport. The program will begin competing in spring 2027 as the first Texas NCAA Division I university hosting the sport and the fifth nationwide.
The program was created to push UTA to the forefront of the emerging sport and increase offerings for its female athletes. The team will play at Maverick Stadium, and coaching staff will be hired later this year, with player signings anticipated after in the fall. The average roster contains 25 players.
President Jennifer Cowley announces the addition of women’s flag football during a press conference May 15 at College Park Center. This will be the first time football returns to UTA since the ’80s.
There are over 50 colleges and universities nationwide offering women’s flag football, and the sport will have its Olympic debut in 2028 in Los Angeles. Over 50 high schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area now have the sport.
Flag football’s growing audience and addition to the Olympics were deciding factors in the university’s decision to bring it to campus, according to a press release.
UTA’s announcement follows similar efforts from the Arlington Independent School District, which launched a high school girls’ flag football pilot program with six schools in April with the support of the Dallas Cowboys.
UTA women’s flag football jersey lies on a table during a press conference May 15 at College Park Center. The matches will be held at Maverick Stadium.
The Cowboys collaborated with school districts and partners statewide over the past nine months to create varsity-level 7-on-7 programs set to compete in spring 2025.
“The response we’ve had by adding that, it’s been really remarkable. The interest in the sport in just our first year, and the amount of student athletes that are showing up, participating in it,” said Eric White, Arlington ISD director of athletics, in a press conference.
A couple of years ago, students voted to increase the number of women’s sports at UTA, and after planning and evaluation, flag football rose to the top, Cowley said in the press conference. UTA can readily host the sport in existing facilities, she added.
Athletics director Jon Fagg speaks during a press conference May 15 at College Park Center. The women’s flag football program is set to begin competing in spring 2027.
“We felt it was just the right time to be able to start and create a pathway for those future Olympic athletes,” she said.
Cowley made the announcement to UTA and Tarrant County College faculty and staff, along with various DFW stakeholders, during the third annual State of Higher Education event Thursday at College Park Center. Tiny footballs were placed on tables at the event to hint at the announcement, which was saved for last.
Cowley told attendees she looks forward to having a future Olympian and encouraged people to cheer on the newest Lady Mavs in the near future.
“Football is king in Texas, we all know that. But where is the queen?” she said.
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