North Carolina Wesleyan University is expanding its athletic offerings with the addition of NCAA Women’s Flag Football, with the Battling Bishops set to begin competition in Spring 2028 as a member of the USA South Conference.
Kenny Inge has been named the inaugural coach of the Women’s Flag Football program. Wesleyan will begin recruiting student-athletes for the new program in Fall 2027, allowing the inaugural team to prepare for its first competitive season in Spring 2028.
“North Carolina Wesleyan is excited to announce that we will be starting a new athletic program, Women’s Flag Football, in Spring 2028,” said Wesleyan Director of Athletics John Thompson. “An emerging sport over the last several years, flag football is rapidly growing, and we believe the time is right to add to our sport offerings for women.”
Collegiate & National Growth
The addition of Women’s Flag Football comes as the sport continues to gain momentum at the collegiate and national levels. In January 2026, the NCAA officially added women’s flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program. During the 2025-26 school year, 135 high schools across North Carolina had women’s flag football teams, reflecting the sport’s continued growth throughout the state.
Wesleyan will join a growing group of North Carolina colleges and universities offering women’s flag football, including Meredith College, Guilford College, Wingate University, Barton College, Lees-McRae College, Catawba College and Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Within the USA South Conference, Meredith College is currently the only other member institution offering women’s flag football.
What’s Next?
“We are excited to bring this growing sport to North Carolina Wesleyan and to provide another opportunity for women student-athletes to compete at the collegiate level,” Thompson said. “We look forward to building a strong program and welcoming our inaugural student-athletes to Wesleyan.”
Recruiting for the inaugural Women’s Flag Football team will begin for student-athletes entering Wesleyan in Fall 2027. Additional information about recruiting opportunities and the program will be shared through Wesleyan Athletics.
