NCAA Emerging Sports for Women
In an effort to expand athletic opportunities for female student athletes, the NCAA created the Emerging Sports for Women Program in 1994. Since its inception, several sports have achieved championship status. This list includes rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling, beach volleyball, and most recently, women’s wrestling, which was approved at the January 2025 convention several weeks ago. With the outpouring of participation and support for women’s wrestling becoming the 91st championship sport, the NCAA continues to provide more athletic opportunities for female student athletes in alignment with current trends nationwide. Current emerging sports include acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian (at DI and DII levels only), flag football, rugby, stunt, and triathlon. The recent addition of flag football to the list of emerging sports aims to boost participation and competition at the collegiate level in a quickly growing sport nationwide.
This expansion is further supported by collaborations with organizations like the NFL, which have provided grants to institutions such as one of my alma maters, Russell Sage College to establish new programs. With 65+ NCAA schools currently sponsor women's flag football at club or varsity levels, more programs are expected by 2026 according to ESPN. Beyond the college landscape, the sport has been gaining popularity among high school students nationwide and it has been added as an Olympic sport for the 2028 games in Los Angeles. The momentum is enthusiastically present.
The NCAA is positioning itself to create more athletic opportunities for female student-athletes with the growing participation of girls in flag football throughout youth sports, at high schools nationwide, paired with the anticipated excitement of the Olympics. Identifying trends such as this for advising student athletes can also prove to be beneficial when it comes to post-secondary athletic opportunities as well. In instances where high school student athletes may reach their ceiling for a specific sport, an emerging sport may become a natural pivot for them and also lead to a world of opportunities.
I’ve worked with countless student athletes who have successfully made the transition from a lifelong sport to an emerging sport. In many of the instances, it was a result of circumstances that were completely out of their control as a result of roster moves and program needs. As their advisor, I would emphasize that who they were as “the athlete” was 100% transferable and that their sport-specific experiences would only benefit them as they look to learn a new sport and compete in that realm. An example of this would be how I’d frequently encourage rowing for many of the female student athletes that I advised. When their basketball careers would come to an end as a result of roster cuts, the natural desire to work towards something bigger and compete would lead them to crew. I would point to the scholarship potential of women’s rowing as an NCAA sport with large roster sizes across all divisions and often found that the competitor and athlete in them would take over and give it a shot. This tactic led to girls earning scholarships and rowing for top tier NCAA DI programs throughout the country.
A natural pivot from a traditional sport to an emerging sport during a time of transition or difficulty can lead to a world of opportunities for young student athletes. It’s important for counselors, coaches, and parents to be aware of these trends and provide student athletes with an opportunity to reframe failure as an opportunity for growth. As one door closes, another opens and with that comes an opportunity for new beginnings for our student athletes.