Empire 8 adds Geneseo women’s flag football to conference
Photo courtesy of Courtney Heininger
Geneseo will be joining the Empire 8 conference for its inaugural championship season in 2025-26. With a growing roster and early success, the team is set to kick off its competitive journey this fall.
With the exciting news that Geneseo has added a women’s flag football team to its long list of Division III Varsity Sports, the Empire 8 conference has now added the team as a championship sport for the 2025-26 season. During this time, the Empire 8 conference will consist of SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Brockport, Elmira College, Hartwick College, and Russell Sage College.
In collaboration with the National Football League (NFL) and RCX Sports, Geneseo was proud to announce that flag football is now offered as a varsity sport with their first head coach, Rob Currin, who was made official in December. Currin came from LeRoy Jr/Sr High School as their women's flag football team head coach and is ready to push Geneseo to reach their full potential.
With the addition of an up-and-coming sport, the Empire 8 conference will now have 28 sports at the collegiate Division III level. So far, the flag football team has had two scrimmages at the developmental level against Elmira College on Thursday, Mar. 27, and Villa Maria College on Monday, Mar. 31.
On Sunday, Mar. 16, the women’s flag football team played in a tournament at the Buffalo Bill’s training facilities, where they won the All-Tournament Team. The Bills and NFL continue to be strong advocates for women’s flag football growth, frequently offering their stadiums and training facilities, donating equipment, and garnering attention for the sport.
Flag football officially became a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) conference sport at any level in the Atlantic East Conference in 2024 and has grown significantly since then. The growing popularity and interest in the sport outside of a collegiate environment offer a space for women of all ages across the country to get involved. At least 65 NCAA schools currently sponsor women’s flag football at a varsity or club level this year, and more are set to join in 2026.
The flag football team will begin its competitive season this fall for the 2025-26 season and has provided both currently interested Geneseo students and potentially interested high school students with opportunities to join the team. Geneseo currently has a growing team roster of 17 students.
The team plays in seven-player versus seven-player games. These games consist of a center, a quarterback, running backs, and wide receivers on offense, with defensive positions consisting of rushers and defensive backs. The game is set up for 12-minute quarters and a field size of 80 yards long and 40 yards wide.
Although the Knights’ flag football team has just begun, the girls are having fun on the sidelines and field, cheering on their new teammates and getting excited about this new opportunity. Geneseo’s next scrimmage will be on Thursday, Apr. 3, at Brockport, with a kick-off time of 7:00 PM. Their next home game will be in the College Stadium on Thursday, Apr. 10, at 6:00 PM.