Augustana announced that the university is partnering with the Minnesota Vikings and five other NCAA institutions to launch a new collegiate women’s flag football league. Participating schools include AU, Concordia College Moorhead, Gustavus Adolphus College, Bethel University, the University of Northwestern, St. Paul and University of Wisconsin, Stout.
As part of the partnership, the Minnesota Vikings (with the support of the NFL) will contribute $140,000 to support the league and its participating institutions.
“Football has been a huge part of my life in so many ways, through my career as a band director, where I’ve spent countless Friday nights on the sidelines and as a current player myself with the Sioux Falls Snow Leopards — a semi-professional women’s tackle football team here in Sioux Falls. When the opportunity arose to help bring women’s collegiate flag football to Augustana University, I knew I had to be part of it. This is a chance to build something special, to give women a new platform to compete, grow and lead. I’m incredibly excited for this partnership and can’t wait to see the impact this program will have on our players and the community,” said Kiley Coyne, head coach of the Augustana Women’s Flag Football Team.
Teams will compete in jamborees this April at the University of Northwestern, St. Paul and University of Wisconsin, Stout, leading up to the championship tournament at TCO Stadium in Eagan, Minnesota, on Saturday, April 26.
- 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
“This is a significant moment for the continued growth of girls’ and women’s flag football,” said Minnesota Vikings Vice President of Social Impact Brett Taber. “These 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.”
More details regarding the jamborees and championship tournament will be shared at a later date.
About Minnesota Vikings Girls Flag Football
Since 2022, the Minnesota Vikings have supported the growth of girls’ and women’s flag football, increasing opportunities for athletes at the middle and high school levels and supporting the pathway for women to play in college. 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 and coaches’ and officials’ stipends. After partnering with Minneapolis Public Schools to pilot a middle school girls flag program in 2022, the Vikings saw eight districts participate in the middle school program in 2024. The team has also been working with high school programs throughout the state and, after piloting a program in 2024, expects to announce the state’s first high school girls flag football league in Spring 2025. The Vikings hope to expand the initiative to schools across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa, and believe providing financial support and other resources may help remove barriers so more schools can introduce programs. Through a longstanding partnership with the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL), the Vikings have held multiple conversations with MSHSL representatives regarding the goal of establishing girls high school flag football as a varsity sport in Minnesota. Additionally, the team spearheads the Minnesota Girls Flag Initiative Committee comprised of high school athletic directors, varsity football coaches, MSHSL representatives and other leaders passionate about the sport. Flag football is the nation’s fastest-growing emerging high school sport, and as of February 2025, 14 states have girls flag football sanctioned at the high school level (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee).