Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia, is set to field a women’s flag football team for the 2027‑28 academic year, marking the program’s 23rd varsity sport and underscoring the school’s commitment to expanding access to competitive athletics for female students.
A New Era for Women’s Sports at Randolph College
The initiative aligns with a national surge in flag football participation, where more than one hundred NCAA Division III institutions have already fielded teams or announced plans to do so. College officials say the addition reflects a strategic focus on providing more varsity‑level opportunities for women.
The Old Dominion Athletic Conference, which includes Randolph College, will see six member schools fielding flag football squads by the 2028 season, a development that highlights the conference’s embrace of emerging women’s sports.
The NCAA officially recognized women’s flag football as an emerging sport during its January 2026 meeting, a decision that cleared the path for the discipline to appear in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
In conjunction with the new football program, the college is actively recruiting head coaches for its men’s and women’s track and field and cross‑country teams, a move that will further strengthen its athletic department. Tom Galbraith, a longtime advocate for women’s athletics, is expected to play a key role in shaping the program’s early years.