Lakeland University to Launch Women’s Flag Football in 2025
Lakeland University will add women’s flag football as a sport beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. It will be the 24th sports offering for Lakeland students.
LU Director of Athletics Dan Artamenko said recruiting and hiring a coach will begin immediately.
“Women’s flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in college athletics, especially in the Midwest,” Artamenko said. “Lakeland has a proud tradition of success in women’s athletics and I’m confident that our flag football program will become the latest way that Muskies make memories on and off the field.”
Women’s flag football, which will be an Olympic sport in Los Angeles in 2028, is growing rapidly at the NCAA level, with 400+ schools expressing interest in starting programs over the last two months. There are 12 confirmed varsity programs for this academic year with multiple schools adding a program weekly.
At the high school level, there are more than 22,000 girls playing flag football according to the National Federation of State High School Association and nine sanctioned championship states for high school girls flag football, with over 20 states in emerging stages. In Wisconsin, more than 60 high schools have expressed their interest in girl’s flag football.
“We were proud to be the first in the state to launch women’s wrestling and that spirit of innovation, a Lakeland hallmark, continues with the addition of women’s flag football,” said Lakeland President Beth Borgen. “We have a great facility in Taylor Field and numerous academic programs that make Lakeland an attractive place for future Muskies.”
Women’s collegiate flag football, which spans from February to May, is a 7-on-7 competition played in four 12-minute quarters on a football field 40 yards wide by 80 yards long. Each team moves offensively by running or passing a football, while the defense tries to "tackle" by pulling flags on the ball carrier's belt. Teams play around 8-9 games with a total roster size of 20-25 athletes.
To learn more about the program, contact Dan Artamenko at artamenkodj@lakeland.edu.
