Flag Football Comes to Kean University

By: Jordan Thomas | Publish Date: February 26th, 2026

Kean University has added women’s flag football to its Division III varsity athletics offerings, expanding the athletic department to 24 varsity sports. The move reflects the university’s continued commitment to increasing competitive opportunities for female student-athletes while aligning with the growing popularity of flag football at the collegiate level. 

The program is officially transitioning from a club team to a varsity sport and will compete in the Eastern Conference Athletic Conference (ECAC). Kean will open its inaugural varsity season Feb. 28 in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania, with games against Penn State Schuylkill and Mount St. Mary’s (Md.), marking the first official varsity contests in program history. 

BJ Johnson, managing assistant athletic director, said the addition of women’s flag football helps raise awareness of the sport on campus while also supporting Kean’s broader goals of diversity and inclusion, calling it “[a way] to make flag football more known and interested to students at Kean and it’s another opportunity to promote another women sport at Kean and build the diversity of the university.” 

Flag football has continued to gain momentum at both the collegiate and professional levels. The ECAC alone features 15 teams, providing Kean with a competitive conference landscape as the program begins its first varsity season. The sport’s visibility has also increased nationally after the NFL shifted the Pro Bowl to a flag football format in 2023. 

One of the primary reasons for flag football’s rise is the reduced physical contact compared with traditional tackle football. Rather than tackling, defenders stop ball carriers by pulling a flag, which lowers the risk of injury while maintaining the speed, strategy, and competitiveness of the game. 

With the promotion to varsity status, Kean’s schedule has expanded to 11 games after the team competed in just five contests last season as a club sport. The Cougars will host four home games, all against fellow ECAC opponents, giving students and the campus community more opportunities to attend games and support the program. Kean’s first home game is scheduled for March 19 against Long Island University. 

Head coach Mandrele Hansford said the team’s success at the club level made the transition to varsity an easy decision, noting the Cougars “played against some good teams and really competed and finished with a 4-2 record,” making the move “a no brainer to becoming a varsity sport.” 

Hansford also emphasized the broader impact of the program, explaining that flag football “promotes Kean more and give these young women athletes an opportunity to stay local and play football in front of their families instead of having to travel 1,000 miles around the country.”