Flag football offers female athletes another outlet for sports and scholarships – Chicago Tribune
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Very few female athletes could have seen this coming when they entered high school in 2022.
Flag football scholarships? Really?
It would have been almost impossible for athletes in Illinois to think about back then because schools were not offering the sport on a varsity level. But two years ago, it was a club sport sponsored in part by the Chicago Bears.
Last year, the Illinois High School Association sanctioned flag football and Fremd High School in Palatine became the sport’s first state champion. This year, 216 teams have entered the postseason, which starts Oct. 6.
Colleges have taken notice and Triton College in River Grove is one of the first in the Chicago area that will offer flag football starting in 2026.
“This is exciting news for Triton Athletics,” Garrick Abezetian, associate vice president of Triton College Athletics said in a news release. “Flag football has seen immense popularity recently, and this is an opportunity for us to contribute to that movement and offer more for Triton students and our community. I can’t wait to see everyone out on the field.”
According to womenscollegeflagfootball.com, there are 29 members of the National Junior College Athletic Association that have either announced teams or have active varsity squads. Triton joins the College of DuPage as community college teams planning on starting up programs in the Chicago area for the 2026 season.
The website said there are hundreds of college club teams.
There are also only two NCAA Division I varsity teams with three on the way, and 14 Division II teams with 10 more coming. There are 21 Division III schools with 24 coming including Aurora and North Park. There are 32 NAIA teams with 12 more announced.
Oak Park River and Forest High School senior Elianna Brucato already has locked in Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington as her college choice for academics and flag football, but she is happy a school close to home is offering opportunities.
“I think it would be great if the colleges around us would have teams,” Brucato said after a recent game against St. Laurence in Burbank. “It would be cool to see the sport grow even more.”
St. Laurence’s Sara Burzycki is weighing her options and seeing what’s out there.
“I’ve been doing a little bit of research,” she said. “There are not a lot of colleges that offer scholarships for flag football but there are a lot who offer it as a club team.
“Expanding flag football in colleges is a good thing. It’s a really good sport.”
OPRF’s Tabia Allen, who is also considering Illinois Wesleyan, said she is glad Triton is offering flag football and hopes that the many small colleges in the area follow suit.
“Any schools like Triton or Concordia who would offer flag football would be amazing regardless of what level it is,” she said.
St. Laurence senior Ciyah Thomas, who has played basketball at Bolingbrook and Hammond Central high schools, is looking at colleges for both basketball and flag football.
“My mind is still open. I’m definitely looking to play both sports in college because I have a passion for it,” she said. “I’ve played football my whole life. I never thought about getting a scholarship for it.”
St. Laurence coach Steve Vodicka said that last year two Vikings players committed to Graceland University and thinks there will be more college interest to come.
“The Graceland coach came out to meet the players and showed the opportunity they had for them,” Vodicka said. “Two of them ran with it and I feel a lot more are going to continue to see what that opportunity is like, especially when it comes to scholarships and getting financial aid.
“I can see that growing, especially in the state of Illinois and Chicago area.”
Triton is getting some financial support for its new venture, including a $5,000 grant from the NJCAA Foundation, NFL FLAG, and Reigning Champs Experiences.
“The decision supports strategic enrollment and athletic program growth for our institution,” Triton President Mary-Rita Moore said in a news release. “Equally important is that this investment supports our community’s passion for Trojan athletics and the growing interest nationwide in flag football as an emerging sport for women. This is how a public community college can make a positive difference in the lives of our students.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter.
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