LA MIRADA, Calif. — Biola University Athletics announces the addition of women's flag football as an NCAA Division II varsity sport beginning with the 2027–28 academic year.

The new program creates an opportunity for women to compete at the collegiate level while pursuing a distinctly Christ-centered education in Southern California.

Women's flag football becomes Biola's 18th varsity sport and 10th women's program. The Eagles' founding class of student-athletes arrives at Biola in fall 2027, with an inaugural competitive season scheduled for spring 2028.

Biola is among the earliest faith-based institutions to enter one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. This provides an opportunity to build a program around both competitive excellence and spiritual formation from its very beginning.

"Launching women's flag football strongly aligns with our vision for Biola Athletics. It is an exciting opportunity for our university and for the young women who will build the foundation of this program," said Dr. Bethany Miller, Associate Vice President for Student Development and Senior Director of Athletics. "Biola is ideally positioned to introduce women's flag football at a time when the sport is experiencing tremendous growth both locally and around the world"

"Our inaugural head coach and first class of student-athletes will lay the foundation for the program. We look forward to recruiting talented student-athletes who desire to be spiritually formed through their sport. Being a Biola student-athlete means joining a Christ-centered university where we are anchored in our faith, formed by Christian community, and fiercely passionate about living and competing in a way that reflects the image of God."

The announcement comes during a period of significant national momentum for women's flag football.

The NCAA added women's flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program in January 2026, and continued growth in collegiate sponsorship has moved the sport toward an established NCAA championship.

Flag football will also make its Olympic debut during the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, bringing the sport's largest international stage to Southern California shortly after Biola's inaugural season.

Growth has been especially significant in California. Girls flag football participation has surged across the state since becoming a CIF-sanctioned sport, creating an expanding pool of experienced student-athletes seeking opportunities to continue competing at the collegiate level.

For Biola, that combination of growth, geography, and mission makes the opportunity particularly compelling.

Biola Athletics develops student-athletes through a commitment to the values of Faith, Formation and Fierce — pursuing Christ-centered growth while competing with excellence.

The women's flag football program will be built around those same values from its first day.

A national search for Biola's first head women's flag football coach will begin shortly. The new head coach will spend the 2026–27 academic year recruiting the Eagles' founding class, establishing the program's culture and competitive identity, building its schedule and preparing for the arrival of student-athletes in fall 2027. Biola's first season of competition will follow in spring 2028.

The timing provides the new coaching staff with a full recruiting cycle to identify student-athletes interested not simply in joining a new team, but in helping create the culture.

"The opportunity to compete as the first Biola women's flag football team is incredibly special," Miller said. "They will establish the program: its traditions, shape the culture, and set the standard for every student who follows. We are excited to find student-athletes who are energized by that, and who want their college experience to develop them as competitors, students, and followers of Christ."

Biola's location places the program in the middle of a rapidly developing collegiate flag football landscape. Internal planning has identified multiple four-year institutions within day-trip distance of campus that already sponsor or are expected to sponsor varsity programs by the time Biola begins competition, creating a growing regional network of opponents.

Additional information about Biola Women's Flag Football, including the hiring of the program's first head coach and recruiting opportunities for prospective student-athletes, will be announced at athletics.biola.edu.

Prospective student-athletes interested in becoming members of the founding Biola Women's Flag Football team may submit their information using this Biola Women's Flag Football recruiting questionnaire.

For more information about the team and it's launch, visit the FAQ page at this Biola Women's Flag Football FAQ link, or follow the team's new Instagram page @BiolaFlagFootball.