The CIAA, the oldest HBCU conference, took a bold step into the future this past spring, launching its inaugural season of women’s flag football. With eight programs participating —Including Winston-Salem State, which claimed the inaugural title-the response exceeded expectations. It laid a strong foundation for what could be a transformative sport for the HBCU landscape.“I wasn’t expecting that we would have that many schools,”CIAA Commissioner JacqieMcWilliams -Parker told SB Nation.“I think there’s a lot of institutions that are trying to at least strike the interest of having flag football.”The CIAA is now leading the way in growing women’s flag football at the collegiate level. What began as a club initiative is quickly gaining traction toward becoming a full-fledged varsity sport.“There’s an intent to play again this spring,” McWilliams-Parker confirmed. “I think we put funding in the budget so that we can do this jamboree again. I think there’s still commitment from our institutions, and the women are excited.”
