Eastern Michigan University has named former Navy officer Jesse Siordia as the inaugural head coach of its newly launched women’s flag football program, slated to begin competition in 2027.
A Strategic Move for EMU
Siordia’s 33‑year naval career, which included a deployment to Afghanistan, was followed by a successful tenure at Siena Heights University, where he guided the program to a national collegiate flag football championship and expanded participation from a handful of athletes to over a thousand.
The surge in flag football is not confined to the college level; high school girls’ participation has ballooned from 11,000 in 2018‑19 to nearly 69,000 this academic year, reflecting a nationwide appetite for the sport.
The NCAA officially classified women’s flag football as an Emerging Sport for Women in January 2026, clearing a pathway for Olympic inclusion; the discipline will make its debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, a timeline that EMU is leveraging to accelerate its own championship aspirations.
Siordia’s leadership philosophy, rooted in discipline and teamwork, aligns with the university’s broader push to elevate women’s athletics across the campus, a move that officials say will attract top talent and foster community engagement.
By fielding a competitive flag football squad, Eastern Michigan positions itself at the forefront of a movement that could see the sport attain full championship status as early as 2028, cementing the university’s reputation as an innovator in collegiate women’s sports.