Rowan College of South Jersey will add a women’s flag football team at its Gloucester County campus that is expected to begin competition next spring.
The team’s launch will be financed in part by a $10,000 grant from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Foundation, Reigning Champs Experiences (RCX), a national youth sport program and NFL Flag Football.
“As we continue to grow our athletic offerings,” said Rowan’s executive director of athletics Brian Rowan, “adding women’s flag football is both an exciting and intentional step forward for our program. This new sport represents opportunity – opportunity for female athletes to compete at a high level and opportunity for our college to lead in an emerging space.”
The team will begin the search for a head coach immediately and recruit heavily this spring, according to Rowan.
Flag football is big. A study by the National Federation of State High School Associations found there were about 2.4 million kids in the country playing the sport. It will also be an Olympic sport for the first time at the 2028 games in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, the NJCAA has watched the growth of flag football and thrown its weight behind expanding it in New Jersey.
“The NJCAA Foundation is passionate about the value women’s flag football brings to institutions’ overall growth, the student-athlete experience and equality across playing fields,” said Andrew Givens, executive director of the foundation. “This is an opportunity for women of the association to compete at the highest level, and we are fortunate to work hand in hand with NFL Flag and RCX Sports during this exciting time.”
While Rowan searches for a head coach, it has tasked Kenyatta Collins – an assistant coach with the women’s soccer and basketball programs – to gauge interest among students and handle recruiting.
“Our program is known for excellence and leadership, and we strongly support women’s athletics,” Rowan explained. “This is another opportunity for us to lead in getting this sport moving at the two-year and intercollegiate level in New Jersey, and we will be strong supporters of these women athletes.
“I have no doubt that this will be a great sport for years to come in our program.”
Brianna Howard, a first-year student who plays soccer at Rowan, played flag football at Washington Township High School and is interested in the college’s new team, which will launch its first season next spring.
