Texas Wesleyan University leads the way in Texas for women’s flag football, the fastest-growing women’s sport

Alexis Bernal and Kayla Wildy • February 26, 2025

Texas Wesleyan’s new varsity program positions its athletes at the forefront of a rapidly growing global sport with flag football officially joining the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

In a historic move, Texas Wesleyan University has announced the launch of women’s flag football, making it the first university in Texas to compete in the sport at the varsity level.

Under the leadership of newly hired head coach Sakeenah Lambert, the program is preparing to kick off its recruiting process. The team is set to debut in spring 2026 with a roster of 25 to 30 student-athletes and will compete nationwide.

The initiative aligns with the university’s commitment to providing opportunities for student-athletes and aims to inspire young women to pursue their athletic goals while earning a quality education.

Student athletes and faculty are excited about the program’s potential impact. Ricky Dotson, Texas Wesleyan’s athletic director, suggests the addition will elevate the reputation of the university’s athletic program.

“I see all of our athletic teams as representatives of the university, and so for them to have success, then it means the university has some of that success,” Dotson said. “I just think it’s going to create some excitement because of the novelty of it, but also because we’re one of the first to do it; we wanted to be at the front end of flag football and be a model for other schools to follow.”

One of the driving factors behind the addition of the sport is its rapid growth. As NFL FLAG reports, it is now “the fastest-growing girls’ sport in the country.” In 2020, women’s flag football became a sanctioned college sport. In 2021, 15 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) universities kicked off their inaugural women’s flag football seasons. In its first few months, flag football was voted the newest sport to receive “emerging” status by the NAIA National Administrative Council (NAC).

The budding sport isn’t just making an impact in college athletics. For the 2024-25 school year, Private School Review reported there are 42 private high schools offering flag football as an interscholastic sport serving 12,583 students throughout Texas. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations around 500,000 girls played flag football between the age of 6 and 17—a 63 percent increase since 2019.

Once construction is finished, the Karen Cramer Stadium is set to be the home for the women’s flag football team.[File photo] (Carla Salazar)

Jill Gerloff, assistant athletic director for academic services and retention and deputy Title IX coordinator for Texas Wesleyan Athletics, highlighted the sport’s rapid expansion, noting its potential to attract future students to the university.

“This is a growing sport in Texas, I think this is going to be a huge draw for future students to come to campus” Gerloff said. “I am excited to see them bring this sport on campus and to be trailblazers in the sport in DFW! I will be a resource for them in their academic and resource support.”

The addition of women’s flag football is expected to boost school spirit. Senior business major Ernest Caesar III, Sooner Athletics Conference Offensive Player of the Year and All-American running back, encourages Ram fans to help support the TxWes athletic department as it advances into a new era.

“This will bring a lot more attention to the campus—it’s about the university growing its sports programs and engaging with the city. In 2025, social media will be big, but showing up in person and helping them learn can go a long way,” Caesar said.

Beyond increasing school spirit, women’s flag football is expected to increase community support and bring more attention and financial opportunity to the university’s athletics program.

“We’ve got some opportunities to partner and collaborate with some people that are going to be really exciting. I have had talks with the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans,” Dotson said. “The NFL is strongly behind women’s flag football, and the NFL is going to give us some money to help fund it.”

The sport is set to make its Olympic debut in 2028. With growing community enthusiasm and the support of professional sports organizations, women’s flag football is projected to leave a lasting impact on both the athletic program and the university.

For all Texas Wesleyan Athletic Department updates visit RamSport.net.

About the Contributors

Alexis Bernal, Co-Broadcast Director

Alexis Bernal is a senior at Texas Wesleyan University, majoring in Mass Communications. In addition, she is a member of the cheerleading team and is a social media manager. Alexis is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her passion for sports reporting began while working for her previous school’s newspaper and radio station, where she covered men’s basketball, football, and volleyball. Now, she’s eager to connect with the Texas Wesleyan community and expand her reporting by covering the exciting stories happening on campus.

Carla Salazar, Content Producer

Carla Lilianna Salazar is a Content Producer at The Rambler and a New Student Mentor at Texas Wesleyan University. Born in Dallas, Texas but was raised in Arlington, Texas, she is currently a junior majoring in mass communication in hopes of following a path to TV and Radio Broadcast as a reporter and anchor. She is described as a bubbly, inquisitive, innovative, writer who enjoys trying new things and making people laugh. Her goal here at The Rambler is to expand her knowledge and skills on all things journalism and to help inform her Texas Wesleyan community while spreading as much love and laughter as possible.