Women's flag football coming to Russell Sage College

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- 13 students made history at the Armory at Russell Sage College, as they took to the turf for the school's first gathering of its women's flag football team.

It'll be the first intercollegiate women's flag football team in the Capital Region.

The team will start intercollegiate play in spring 2026 with four other Empire 8 Conference teams: SUNY Brockport, Elmira College, Hartwick College, and SUNY Geneseo.

Coaches from Albany High School were on hand to run drills, a scrimmage, and go over the rules of the non-contact version of American football that's had a surge in popularity.

Alia Charles played the sport for three years in high school down in New York City. She didn’t know it would be an option for her to continue as a college athlete. Hitting the turf in Albany was like coming home.

“Coming into college, I wanted to join the sport, but I didn't really find anything that I was interested in," Charles explained, "so when I finally got the email that we would have girls flag football, I was ecstatic. Like there was nothing, nothing else that I could wish for.”

"I think it's awesome to, like, have an impact, and the girls will come and watch this, and then hopefully they come to Sage, to play," said Madeline Mott, a collegiate volleyball player who plans on taking up flag football.

“The full-blown season where you're going six days a week, traveling, playing games will be in the spring," said Erica Faas-Li, Associate Director of Athletics, "and then the Empire 8 conference added it as a full championship team, which is awesome. We're super excited."

They're still looking for their head coach. The application is open online.