Jets Pioneers Largest Collegiate Women's Flag Football League in US
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The New York Jets and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) have made history by launching the largest collegiate women's flag football league in the US. The league, set to kick off in February, will feature 15 Division I, II, and III universities from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The league is a significant step forward in promoting women's flag football, an opportunity that Jets linebacker Quincy Williams believes has grown exponentially since his childhood days playing football with friends in Alabama. 'To see how much it has grown, it's been amazing,' Williams said. The Jets' support for girls flag football dates back to 2011 when they launched a high school league in New York. Since then, they have helped create over 260 teams worldwide. The new league is backed by a $1 million investment from Jets owner Woody Johnson through the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation. Each participating school will receive a grant to support costs such as equipment, uniforms, coaches' salaries, and travel. The league's commissioner, Dan Coonan, hailed the move as a 'game changer' and a significant step towards providing opportunities for young women to play the sport. The initial group of schools includes Allegheny College, Eastern University, and Penn State Schuykill, among others. The league aims to have at least 20 schools competing within the first four years. With the NCAA set to vote on making women's flag football an 'emerging sport' in January, the league is expected to serve as a blueprint for college athletics. The league's regular-season games will be played in a 7-on-7 format on campus sites from February through April, with the Jets hosting a playoff tournament at their facility in May. The success of the league could pave the way for professional flag football leagues, with the NFL planning to launch women's and men's leagues in the next couple of years ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
