Syracuse, NY (NCC News) – As women’s flag football surges nationwide, Syracuse is stepping onto the field with a program of its own.
The NCAA recently added women’s flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program, a key step toward eventual championship status. The program has been running for over 30 years and has elevated eight sports to the varsity level.
More than 40 schools had women’s flag football programs last year and the NCAA expects that number to jump to 65 this academic year. Syracuse is now on that list.
“Once I saw there was flag football on the first week, I called my dad so excited saying ‘send my cleats, can you send my mouthguard, they have a team,’” first-year captain Kylie Cetin said.
The program, created by CJ Connors, who serves as head coach, is still in its early stages but growing quickly.
“There were a couple practices in the fall with just 5 or 6 people,” Connors said. “So it’s been really great having like 30 people or 20 people consistently showing up.”
Syracuse’s growth mirrors broader investment in the sport. The Eastern College Athletic Conference recently announced the formation of a women’s flag football league, backed by a $1 million dollar investment from the New York Jets. Several NCAA programs, including Alabama State, Long Island, Mercyhurst, and Cal Poly, have already launched or announced varsity teams.
The first power conference program, Nebraska, announced a varsity level program earlier this year. Syracuse is now looking to follow that path.
“We’re hoping to join a league next year,” Connors said. “We have a meetings set up to try to form a league with other schools. So we’re definitely getting very involved on that end.”
For players, the opportunity represents more than just a new sport, it’s something that wasn’t always available.
“There were no opportunities when we were kids, like when we were really young to get into flag football or anything,” first-year captain Aubrey Vaeth said.
Now, as the sport continues to grow, that is beginning to change.
“It’s such a heartwarming thing for me to see… girls being able to play such an amazing sport that we’ve been told we can’t our whole lives,” Cetin said.
Syracuse will take the turf this spring with scrimmages against other building programs, such as UConn. As women’s flag football continues its rapid rise, the Orange are positioning themselves to be part of what comes next.