Just a year ago, UCLA student Tenley Hill spent Saturdays on the sidelines of the Rose Bowl as a member of the Bruins’ cheerleading team. Today, she’s helping to build one of the university’s newest sports programs.
As founder and president of UCLA’s Women’s Flag Football Club, Tenley is helping establish the university’s program from the ground up. From recruiting players and coaches to organizing practices, generating campus interest, and creating a team culture, she is leading an effort that reflects the rapid growth of one of the country’s fastest-rising sports.
“It’s exciting to be part of something that’s brand new,” Tenley says. “We’re not just joining a team. We’re building one.”
Big things are coming for flag football
Tenley’s leadership comes at a pivotal moment for women’s flag football.
The sport will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. The NFL continues to invest heavily in its growth, youth participation is surging nationwide, and the NCAA has taken significant steps toward recognizing women’s flag football as an emerging championship sport.
On campuses across the country, students like Tenley are helping turn that momentum into opportunity.
UCLA is one of the newest institutions to join the NIRSA Club Flag Football League, a national women’s 7-on-7 league developed in partnership with the NFL. Competition begins in January 2027 and will culminate with the league’s first national championship in the spring.
What began as an ambitious vision has quickly grown into a national movement.
The league now includes more than 40 colleges and universities, featuring many of the nation’s most recognizable athletic brands, including Arizona, Arizona State, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, UCLA, and many others. The continued expansion reflects growing demand for competitive opportunities outside traditional varsity pathways while giving student-athletes the chance to represent their campuses on a national stage.
More than competition
For NIRSA, the league represents more than competition. It creates opportunities for leadership, community building, student development, and competitive play while providing another pathway for women to pursue the sport as it enters a historic new era.
Student leaders like Tenley embody that mission. Rather than waiting for someone else to create the opportunity, she and her teammates are creating it themselves.
As the countdown to NIRSA Club Flag’s inaugural season continues, programs like UCLA’s are helping shape the next generation of athletes, leaders, and ambassadors for women’s flag football.
And for Tenley Hill, the journey from cheering inside the Rose Bowl to leading a new team onto the field is only the beginning.
About the NIRSA Flag Football League
NIRSA’s new Club Flag Football league is building on NIRSA’s broader efforts to advance the sport across collegiate recreation, including investments in officiating development, standardized competition structures, and national championship pathways through the NIRSA Championship Series. By aligning resources, expertise, and institutional support, NIRSA continues to serve as a catalyst for the growth of emerging sports at the collegiate level.
Through its partnership with the NFL, the league will also benefit from operational infrastructure, and long-term sustainability—further positioning flag football as one of the fastest-growing and most accessible sports in higher education.
The Women’s Club Flag Football League will provide student-athletes with opportunities to compete, lead, and connect with peers nationwide, while reinforcing NIRSA’s mission to advance recreation, sport, and wellbeing across college campuses.
Additional details regarding schedules, championship location, and broadcast opportunities will be announced in the coming months. Schools with clubs eligible to compete in the 2027 NIRSA Club Flag season should visit the NIRSA website to learn more and register your interest.
- If you have additional questions about the league, please contact NIRSA National Flag Football Manager Nik Sandona; for media inquiries, contact Jake Duhaime, MAXX MGMT.
