Credit: Kayla Wolf

Women’s flag football is coming to Beloit College. The sport will compete for the first time in spring 2026. Student recruitment is underway, and a full-time coach will be hired in spring 2025. With the addition of flag football, Beloit will now offer 19 varsity men’s and women’s sports.

Flag football — a no-contact seven-on-seven sport played on an 80-yard field — will be a new and unique athletic offering at Beloit College. Beloit’s new flag football program will have a full-time coach dedicated to students’ success on and off the field.

“From the athletic directors I’ve talked to in our region, some are hiring part-time coaches and some are hiring coaches that are going to be in a dual role with the men’s football team,” said Beloit College Director of Athletics Dave DeGeorge. “We will hire a coach who’s dedicated solely to our flag football team. In addition, our plan is to have a field that’s dedicated to the team. We want to give young women who want to play football the opportunity to attend Beloit College and compete for the Buccaneers.”

Beloit College President Eric Boynton says, “Women’s flag football is one of the fastest growing high school team sports, especially in the Midwest. Beloit College is adding this exciting competitive opportunity to support collegiate athletes. As an agile and innovative institution, Beloit is always finding ways to improve the student experience, and I’m thrilled we’re providing this opportunity for student-athletes who want to continue competing at the highest levels.”

Building the program from the ground up also has advantages for students. The very first team in the program will be able to create its own culture and traditions, says DeGeorge. “It will be a great experience to be a part of building a new program. Do you want to score the first touchdown in program history, or throw the first touchdown pass?”

Division III athletes are students first at Beloit, but their experiences competing in intercollegiate sports are also invaluable to their growth in college and preparation for whatever lies ahead.

“We work hard to make sure that playing sports at Beloit is part of students’ education. We’re trying to teach life lessons that are applicable in relationships, in jobs, in communities. Everything we do is designed to help our athletes grow and develop so they can get ready to have the life and the career they want,” says DeGeorge.

About women’s flag football

One of the fastest growing sports in the country, women’s flag football was a natural choice for Beloit. The International Olympic Committee has approved flag as an Olympic sport to be played for the first time at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. An estimated 500,000 young women across the country are playing the sport before college, including at 150 high schools in Illinois.

For more information on the upcoming program, contact Dave DeGeorge, athletics director at Beloit College, at 608-363-2039.

About Beloit College

Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, recognized for its longstanding commitment to curricular innovation, as well as hands-on, active-learning, and international education programs that prepare students for successful and meaningful lives. The Beloit College community is diverse and noted for its passionate engagement with ideas and the world; its students are from nearly every state as well as 44 nations. Beloit College offers 50+ majors, 30 minors, dual-degree and pre-professional programs, 100 study abroad programs, and several domestic study programs. For more information, visit 0q9u.sxwx168.net.