EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings believe football is for everyone, and they again are showing that in a big way.

After multiple years of championing youth flag football — and continuing to support girls flag football becoming a sanctioned high school sport in Minnesota — the Vikings are also now helping launch a collegiate women's flag football league.

The Vikings are partnering with six NCAA institutions in and near Minnesota, the team announced Monday. Participating schools include Augustana University (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), Concordia College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Bethel University, the University of Northwestern, St. Paul and the University of Wisconsin, Stout.

"This is a significant moment for the continued growth of girls and women's flag football," said Vikings Vice President of Social Impact Brett Taber. "These six institutions are set to do something unique, and their partnership with the Vikings and the NFL will bring further awareness to the future of women's football and empower the next generation of athletes to find opportunities to compete and shape this game."

As part of the partnership, the Vikings — with the support of the NFL — will contribute a total of $140,000 to support the league and the participating schools.

Vikings Youth & High School Football Manager Joe Rush called the launch a "monumental step forward" for the sport's growth not only in the region but across the United States.

"This expands the opportunity pipeline for young women and provides a clear pathway for them to continue playing beyond high school," said Rush, noting this will be the largest collection of NCAA institutions to form a women's flag league and host a competitive season. "While we certainly anticipate a high level of competition, the impact extends beyond the playing field. We see women's collegiate flag as a way to expand access and opportunity, foster leadership, showcase incredible athletes and create a lasting impact that will inspire future generations."

Teams will compete this April in jamborees at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul and the University of Wisconsin, Stout. A championship tournament will be hosted at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center to cap the inaugural season.

• Saturday, April 5 – Jamboree at University of Northwestern, St. Paul
• Saturday, April 12 – Jamboree at University of Wisconsin, Stout
• Saturday, April 26 – Championship tournament at TCO Stadium

"Since our four-team pilot high school league in 2024, we have seen incredible growth in that space – not just in participation numbers but in the level of enthusiasm from schools, communities and young athletes who now see flag football as a viable option," Vikings Youth & High School Football Coordinator Emily Weinberg said. "Due to the level of interest and talent at the high school level, creating opportunity at the collegiate level was a natural next step. Developing high school and collegiate opportunity in parallel allows us to respond to existing interest on college campuses while also looking toward the future, giving high school athletes something to aspire to and college programs a local pool of athletes to recruit from."

The Vikings since 2022 have actively supported the growth of girls and women's flag football. The organization has allocated more than $600,000 toward statewide and regional girls flag football efforts, helping reduce financial barriers for girls to play and assisting with transportation and facility costs, as well as coaches' and officials' stipends.

Flag football is currently the fastest-growing sport, three years from making its Olympics debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. According to the NFL, more than 20 million people in 100 countries are currently playing, and participation from girls ages 6-17 doubled over the past two years.

After partnering with Minneapolis Public Schools to pilot a middle school girls flag program in 2022, eight districts participated in the middle school program in 2024. The Vikings have also been working with high school programs throughout the state and expect to inaugurate the state's first high school girls flag football league in spring 2025.

At the college level, nearly 500 NCAA institutions have expressed interest in women's flag football. In 2024, 51 collegiate institutions — including NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA — had a women's flag football program.

The Vikings are proud to be part of this additional implementation.

"The competition is certainly a critical element of what we are doing here, but what's just as powerful is the sense of community this league will create. These young women are pioneers in collegiate flag football, and they're setting an example for younger girls who now see that they, too, can have a future in this sport," Rush said. "And it doesn't stop with the players. This league will inspire more coaches, referees, athletic trainers, support staff and administrators to get involved, strengthening the entire ecosystem of girls and women's flag football in the Upper Midwest and beyond."