AU pioneers collegiate women's flag football in SD

The Augustana Vikings are advancing the chains for women’s sports by launching South Dakota’s first women’s collegiate flag football team thanks to a groundbreaking partnership with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. The new league, aimed at inspiring and empowering young women in athletics, features six Midwest colleges committed to growing the sport and providing new opportunities for student-athletes.

“I grew up with two brothers and have always loved football,” freshman starting quarterback Brooklyn Sturm said. “It’s been a dream to play a college sport, so when this opportunity came along, I knew I had to take it.”

Emily Weinberg, youth and high school football coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, said that the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL are each donating $70,000 in hopes of uplifting the league and its dedication to inspiring and promoting women’s involvement in athletics at the collegiate level. For those who are not already student-athletes, the new program will offer an exclusive opportunity for student engagement. 

“The Vikings truly believe football is for everyone,” Minnesota Vikings’ writer and editor Lindsey Young wrote in an email. “It’s been a true privilege to cover previous girls’ flag events we’ve hosted at the Twin Cities Orthopedics (TCO) Performance Center and witness the impact a sport can have on young women in real time, and I’m thrilled to see that impact continue.”

Weinberg said that the Minnesota Vikings chose Augustana and five other collegiate institutions to develop women’s flag football programs after a thorough search across the Upper Midwest. The participating colleges in the league are Augustana, Concordia College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Bethel University, the University of Northwestern-St. Paul and the University of Wisconsin-Stout. 

“We spoke with many of the collegiate athletic conferences in the upper Midwest,” Weinberg wrote. “Augustana was one of the schools that showed the most enthusiasm and interest in starting a team.”

The Minnesota Vikings have been supporting the efforts of universities to create women’s flag football programs since 2022. 

“It’s been exciting to see our Youth & High School Football department work on integrating girls’ flag football at a grassroots level, from elementary and middle school students to young women at the high school and now collegiate level,” Young said. 

Kiley Coyne, assistant director of recruitment for the School of Music, serves as the head coach for the women’s flag football team. She offers a diverse perspective as a marching band director by day and a semi-professional tackle football player for the Sioux Falls Snow Leopards by night. 

“My goal is to get every person that wants to play, to play,” Coyne said. “We went from 11 to 23 players in two weeks. It’s huge for the program.”

Freshman Kayl Johnson, a member of the Augustana dance team, is a starting center for the newly established program. 

“We’re making a path for something that is going to explode here — not only at Augustana but in South Dakota,” Johnson said.

According to Weinberg, about 50% of girls and women who play collegiate flag football were not previously playing another sport. The program will act as a gateway for students to engage in physical well-being and establish lasting camaraderie. 

“Meeting new people, starting new friendships and making memories is something that I’m really excited about,” Johnson said.  “It will definitely be something to look back on.”

Beyond empowering young athletes, the program seeks to diversify women’s collegiate athletics and foster friendships among teammates. 

“You don’t have to be a freak athlete to play flag football,” Coyne said. “It is so inclusive for all genders and for all athletic ability.”

The program is already seeing an increase in interest: Sturm knows a non-Augustana student who wants to attend Augustana to play the sport.

“One of the girls from my hometown already messaged me and said she wants to come here to play flag football,” Sturm said. 

The women’s team will compete in jamborees, a festival-style competition that replaces traditional leagues, at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul on April 5 and the University of Wisconsin-Stout on April 12. They have two games scheduled each weekend before they head to TCO Stadium for the championship on April 26. 

Students can follow the women’s flag football Instagram page for updates and announcements: @au_women_flag.