Northern Essex Community College is adding women’s flag football to its varsity athletic offerings beginning with practice in the fall of 2027 with competitions the following spring.
The fastest growing sport at the collegiate level, the National Junior College Athletic Association will offer a national championship in the sport for the first time at the same time. The Knights are also expected to be taking the field by then on its outdoor athletic complex at the Haverhill campus.
“We’re excited to join the growing number of schools to sponsor Women’s Flag Football, and offering new opportunities for women to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level,” said Knights Athletic Director Dan Blair, adding, “Right now, the sport has its greatest number of participants in Massachusetts within the Merrimack Valley and this will help us tremendously in building our program.”
The college said, girls flag football participation at the high school level has increased nearly 50% over the previous year across the nation and more than 80 high schools in Massachusetts will sponsor the sport in the spring 2027. Participation at the NJCAA has more than doubled since it began recognizing the sport in 2025.
Northern Essex is the third community college in Massachusetts, behind Roxbury and Massasoit, to plan for the additional sport. It is currently searching for the program’s inaugural head coach.