Athletics is expanding at Point Park once again, pioneering a rapidly growing sport.
Point Park announced the addition of women’s flag football on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Vice President of Athletics Scott Swain and President Chris Brussalis have been in the process of bringing the program to Point Park for months, coinciding with the university’s transition to NCAA Division II athletics.
Brussalis first revealed the addition in front of first-year students at Point Park’s convocation on Aug. 22.
The athletic program will house 20 teams, including five new sports added since Fall 2024. Women’s flag football joins men’s and women’s lacrosse and wrestling as emerging Point Park sports.
“This is all planned growth,” Scott Swain said. “This is part of the strategic plan under President Brussalis. One of the reasons why I was brought into Point Park was to, one, take us into NCAA DII and champion that, but also to expand the athletic department.”
Women’s flag football is not just new to Point Park but to collegiate athletics as a whole. The NCAA launched a small-scale league earlier this year, but it’s nearing official status.
The sport awaits a pivotal vote at the 2026 NCAA Convention in January that will declare if women’s flag football becomes an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women, marking its first step toward NCAA Championship status.
If the vote passes, women’s flag football will turn into a varsity sport at Point Park.
Early women’s flag football competition will take place under regional conferences that cross over the lines of Division I, II and III institutions. Instead of a conference consisting of strictly Division II schools, Point Park would potentially compete against local universities of all collegiate levels.
“Right now, there are a fair number of schools around us within two hours that have already added this sport,” Swain said. “So the NCAA vote, once it’s passed, you’re going to see a lot of other schools adding it, and that’s going to determine how these conferences form early.”
Women’s flag football gained momentum in recent years among high schools and colleges, especially in Pennsylvania.
NFL support of women’s flag football also bolsters its popularity, with various initiatives and programs aiming to promote the sport among women of all ages from youth to college.
Local universities recently added women’s flag football such as Allegheny, Bethany, Chatham, Franciscan, Pitt, Saint Vincent and Seton Hill.
Point Park posted the head coach position this month with hopes of hiring one this fall, according to Swain. This will grant the coach a full academic year to recruit, leading up to an introductory season in Spring 2027.
“It adds another women’s team and gives us an opportunity as the Point Park Pioneers to pioneer women’s flag in the NCAA,” Brussalis said.
Swain said that the athletic department is developing relationships with nearby facilities, in addition to Highmark Stadium, for the team to use.
“There are a variety of facilities all within easy distance of Point Park that we will be using for women’s flag football,” Swain said.
Women’s flag football will become the 11th women’s sport at Point Park.
“Adding a women’s sport is definitely a factor, because we wanted to increase sport opportunities and sport offerings for women,” Swain said.
