As the first collegiate governing body to sanction women’s flag football, NAIA institutions have a unique opportunity to create programming for a relatively untapped and growing market of prospective student-athletes.
According to data from the National Federation of State High School Associations, women’s high school flag football participation has nearly quadrupled since 2018, increasing from 11,209 to 42,955 student-athletes. Women’s flag football is a sanctioned high school sport in approximately 15 states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, and New York, and additional states are currently piloting programs that could become sanctioned in the near future.
Participating NAIA institutions allow these individuals to continue playing at the collegiate level while attracting a new demographic of student-athletes. Since the 2020-21 academic year, the NAIA has seen a 139 percent growth in women’s flag football participation, with 373 total players across 23 institutions, 9 states, and six different conferences; this averages to about 23 players per participating institution.
There is a similar upward trend when considering the financial contribution of women’s flag football, starting with its relatively low expenses. During the 2023-24 academic year, women’s flag football teams generated an average of $217 K in net tuition revenue (the amount of tuition minus financial aid), while only spending approximately $86K to run the program – an impressive return on investment.
Additionally, the average women’s flag football team has realized incremental growth in both net tuition revenue as well as net returns (the overall contribution women’s flag football returns to the institution after expenses are applied). Both metrics have increased more than 18% since the 2020-21 academic year.
All these factors provide a unique opportunity for institutions interested in expanding their athletic offerings. Given the speed at which women’s flag football is growing and the financial/enrollment-driving possibilities that this provides, it would be a likely fit at most NAIA campuses.
Return on Athletics® (ROA) is the only resource available to maximize the business performance of NAIA athletic departments. Through the collection and analysis of member data, ROA leverages simple and consistent calculations across 250 small colleges and universities to provide the most complete athletics department financial data available. Please see here to learn more about ROA and what it can do for your institution.
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Return on Athletics® (ROA) is a free NAIA member resource that helps institutions make more informed, data-driven decisions about their athletics programs. By bringing together institution-, sport-, and student-level data, ROA provides insights into enrollment, retention, financial aid, and athletics finances, enabling campus leaders to evaluate performance, identify opportunities, and strengthen long-term financial sustainability. How […]
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