By MILES SOUZA
On December 9, Beloit College made the big announcement, introducing their 19th varsity sports team. The college announced that women’s flag football will be coming to the athletics program.
The team is set to compete for the first time in the spring semester of 2026. As player recruitment for the team is already underway, the athletics department hopes to have a full time, dedicated coach hired by spring of 2025.
Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. The sport is being played by hundreds of thousands of women across the country even before college, including high school, programs scattered all throughout the area.
The no-contact sport is played on an 80-yard field and is played with seven on the field at a time for each team.
The released an article outlining the details of the launch and program on the ninth through the official website, the athletics page, and social media. Athletic Director Dave DeGeorge specifically outlined how Beloit’s program intends to be different than other programs in the area.
The Buccaneers are planning to hire a coach who’s “dedicated solely to our flag football team,” which is unlike many other institutions who are hiring part time coaches or even having their football coaches double up. The athletic department also intends to have a field dedicated to the program.
The article also included comments from Beloit College President Eric Boynton, who is very excited about adding another competitive opportunity to support the existing collegiate athletics program. He also addresses how Beloit College, “an agile and innovative institution” as he describes, is always looking for a new way to increase the student experience.
This program will do just that, adding a new dynamic, competitive opportunity for young women to compete in a collegiate sport as a Buccaneer. The dedication to make the program its own is also a success of the administration of Beloit and the athletics program.
The insistent nature of taking the time to find a dedicated, full time coach, along with a dedicated playing field for the team will serve well in the long run for the program, but also create an authentic, meaningful experience for the future Buccaneer athletes.
DeGeorge also mentioned his opinion on the importance and significance of building this program from the ground up. He describes this process as giving the advantage to the students and the true opportunity to build a culture and traditions for their program.
This is a great sign for the program and the college, as the first set of recruits for the team will be able to make the team their own right off the bat and create a Beloit culture within their program from the beginning.
Watch out for this new team who will be officially touching down next spring, with the hopes of creating another stories athletics program at Beloit College.
Featured image: Vivian Kopka’27
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