MOUNT OLIVE, NC — The University of Mount Olive will take part in the Conference Carolinas Women’s Flag Football Kickoff Celebration on Wednesday, February 4, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, as part of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
Hosted by Conference Carolinas in partnership with the Carolina Panthers, the event highlights the rapid expansion of women’s flag football across the Carolinas at the collegiate level. A press conference is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in the Panthers Team Auditorium and will feature representatives from Conference Carolinas, the Carolina Panthers, and the Durham Sports Commission. Coaches and student-athletes in attendance will also be available for open media availability following the press conference.
Conference Carolinas is making history as the first NCAA Division I or II conference to sponsor varsity women’s flag football. The league will launch its inaugural season this spring with 11 member institutions, including the University of Mount Olive.
Conference play is set to begin on February 28 at Emmanuel (Ga.) University. The inaugural Conference Carolinas Women’s Flag Football Championship will be held April 17–19 at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
Women’s flag football is the newest sport added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program and continues to experience rapid growth nationwide. By spring 2026, more than 40 NCAA institutions across all three divisions are expected to sponsor the sport at the varsity level.
Mount Olive will compete alongside Barton, Chowan, Emmanuel, Erskine, Ferrum, King, Lees-McRae, Mars Hill, Mount St. Mary’s, and Wingate in Conference Carolinas competition.
The Carolina Panthers have played a key role in the growth of women’s flag football throughout North and South Carolina, working to make the sport sanctioned at the high school varsity level in both states. Currently, 145 high schools in North Carolina and 35 in South Carolina sponsor flag football programs. Nationwide, the sport is sanctioned as a varsity sport in 17 states and is set to make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
