Culver-Stockton to add women’s flag football program

Published 12:34 pm Thursday, August 6, 2026

CANTON, Mo. — Culver-Stockton College will add women’s flag football to its varsity athletic programs, with the Wildcats scheduled to begin competition in Spring 2028.

The Wildcats will hire a head coach to lead the women’s flag football program later this year, according to Culver-Stockton athletic director Pat Atwell. That coach will recruit throughout the coming academic year to assemble the C-SC inaugural roster.

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) flag football squads currently average 24 players.

“I think it is the perfect time to add women’s flag football to our sport offerings at Culver-Stockton College,” said Atwell. “The sport is growing at an almost unprecedented rate at the high school level, and with the support provided by the NFL, it’s likely to succeed.”

The growth is hard to overstate. The NAIA named women’s flag football its 30th championship sport in 2026, and nearly doubled from 19 member institutions in 2025 to 36 in 2026. The National Junior College Athletic Association will elevate the sport to championship status in 2027-28.

“The Heart of America Athletic Conference already has six schools playing flag football, so putting together a schedule will not be difficult,” said Atwell. “The National Junior College Athletic Association has also elevated the sport to championship status, so that is another group of potential student-athletes that we can tap into.”

For Culver-Stockton, the addition is also an investment in a student population that performs well in the classroom.

“It is always exciting to add another sport and to provide an additional sport for young women as their academic profile and retention rate tends to be very high,” said Atwell. “We look forward to hiring our first-ever head coach and helping them recruit this inaugural class.”