Sanya ProvidenceN.C. Central athletics is officially adding women’s flag football to its National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I program, with its inaugural season set to begin during the 2026-2027 academic year under newly appointed head coach Jennifer King.
This announcement marks a major shift for a program that spent the past several years operating as a club sport before adding the varsity program. The transition comes after the NCAA added women’s flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program in January, and the MEAC added the sport as a championship sport during the 2026-27 academic year in June.
King, a former NFL coach who became the first Black woman to hold a full-time position in the league, will lead the Eagles as they join Delaware State, Maryland Eastern Shore, and Norfolk State as full members, and Mississippi Valley State University and Gardner-Webb University as associate members, competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s inaugural women’s flag football season.
For King, becoming the program’s first head coach presents an opportunity to build on the foundation established by the former club team while expanding opportunities for students to play.
“It means a lot; you don’t get a lot of opportunities to start something from scratch very often, so to build from the bottom up, I think it’s a special opportunity,” King said. “We’ll still have [the] club as well, which I think the beauty of the popularity that we have with the sport is that we have enough people to have two teams essentially. So, it allows people to play.”
Moving to varsity level will also change what student-athletes can expect from the program. With the inaugural roster not yet selected and competition not beginning until the spring semester, some aspects of the program are taking shape.
Dr. Louis Perkins, the university’s director of athletics, explained that the flag football varsity program will have the same resources and support provided to other varsity sports on campus.
“Everything every sport has, you know, trainers, academic advisor, strength and conditioning coach, those are just part of the varsity support staff that every sport needs,” Dr. Perkins said. “This is a varsity sport, and will be treated as that.”
In addition to those resources, Dr. Perkins confirmed that student-athletes on the varsity team will receive funding beginning next year. However, the amount of funding and which athletes will receive it will be determined by coaches and budgeting.
Former club player Mariah Byers said the transition feels “like a really big opportunity” for her. After playing on the club team for one year as a defensive back and corner, Byers plans to try out for the varsity program in hopes of taking her playing to the next level.
Byers said she expects the program to have greater discipline and seriousness now that the sport is at the varsity level.
The university’s existing club team will continue to operate separately under previous head coach Jaquan Milliam, allowing student-athletes to still play.
Varsity tryouts are scheduled for Sep. 17 at 7 p.m. at the O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium. Further details surrounding the program regarding practice schedules, game dates, and opponents are still being finalized. NCCU Athletics and the program’s official women’s flag football Instagram page will provide updates as details become available.
“This is an emerging sport that’s going to be here for a long time,” Dr. Perkins said. “So I would say, get behind and get excited.”
