Women's Flag Football
Be Part of a New Winning Tradition
Join the new Flag Football team at the University of Saint Mary, and be on the cutting edge of college athletics.
Members of the USM varsity Women's Flag Football team can earn a scholarship and compete while achieving their college dreams! Not only will you have the opportunity to play at one of only a handful of collegiate flag football programs in the country, you’ll be earning your degree at one of the nation’s “Best Midwestern Colleges,” as recognized by Princeton Review.*
Other benefits of USM Flag Football:
+ New facilities and equipment
+ A great local opportunity--one of the few programs in the state or country
+ Earn a scholarship
+ Great location. Leavenworth is a small town with a lot of opportunity, and is minutes from all of the great cultural events, sports, and entertainment of Kansas City
Take the next step now! USM makes the admissions process simple
2. Send us your information
For incoming freshmen, send us your high school transcripts. If your GPA is below a 2.75, we may also ask for ACT or SAT scores.
For transfer students, we'll need a copy of your transcripts from each higher ed institution attended.
3. Apply for admission
For incoming freshmen, a 2.75 GPA qualifies you for automatic admission (below a 2.75, and we'll likely ask for ACT or SAT scores). For transfer students, a minimum 2.0 GPA on transferrable classes is required.
4. Find Your Program
USM has over 30 majors, minors, and concentrations. We also specialize in health care education -- Saint Mary will help you accomplish your career goals!
5. Visit Campus and Meet with a Coach
Seeing is believing. Learn in person why USM is the right fit for you.
6. Complete the Financial Aid Process
Complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid online. USM's FAFSA code is 001943.
Meet Coach Grayson
"I am absolutely honored and blessed to be the first head flag football coach! This is definitely a game changer for all the ladies that are athletes and can play flag football. Being able to play beyond high school is an excellent opportunity and an additional avenue for the ladies to get an education while having fun doing it."
Grayson has experience playing many sports including placing second in the state of Texas in wrestling. She has also received awards in Women's tackle football including the first class of Women's Hall of Fame 2017 and a World Gold Medalist Champion 2017. She comes to USM from Summer Creek Middle School in Crowley, Texas.
She is also a personal trainer and has worked with the young to the wise and to our less abled bodied persons.
Grayson graduated from Grambling State University with a B.S. in Kinesiology and a concentration in sport management. She also received a minor in coaching.
Grayson said she is looking forward to the task of building and leading the first ever women's flag football team at USM.
USM Facilities
The state-of-the-art Berkel Memorial Stadium complex has bleacher-style seats for 1,000 fans, two patios, goalposts, a new scoreboard, a climate controlled press box with seven rooms, and sidewalks from the parking lot to the bleacher section that are wheelchair accessible.
See more USM athletics facilities
USM Launches Varsity Women’s Flag Football Program
May 15, 2020
(Leavenworth, Kan.)—The University of Saint Mary will add women’s flag football as a varsity athletic program during the 2020-21 academic year.
The team is scheduled to begin competition in spring 2021, and a search for the first head coach is underway. Flag football will become the 22nd sport offered at USM.
“We are looking forward to adding this new women’s sport on campus,” Vice President of Athletics Rob Miller said. “Increasing opportunities for students to participate in collegiate athletics has been critically important to our growth as an institution and our vibrancy as a campus community.”
On May 4, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics announced its plans to partner with the National Football League and Reigning Champs Experiences to create the first women’s flag football league governed by a collegiate athletics association.
Two other Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference schools, Ottawa University and Kansas Wesleyan University, have announced they will start the sport as well.
“Football is for everyone,” NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent said. “This groundbreaking and historic joint venture provides an opportunity for the values, fun, and competitive environment of football to be enjoyed as a varsity sport by female student-athletes attending NAIA institutions across America.”
As the official operating partner of NFL FLAG and the NAIA Showcases, RCX will help facilitate women’s collegiate flag football across the NAIA and drive participation through women’s flag football NAIA Showcases. The NAIA will host its first Showcase open to female football athletes in the late summer or early fall of 2020.
“Increasing female participation in flag football has been a top priority for NFL FLAG,” said Izell Reese, RCX president and general manager. “By teaming up with the NAIA, we’re able to create even more opportunities for young women to continue the sport they love, and potentially receive scholarships to continue their education and compete at the next level.”
The NAIA will begin working with NFL FLAG and RCX immediately to outline competition guidelines and next steps for schools and conferences interested in instituting women’s flag.
“The NAIA is thrilled to partner with the NFL and RCX in launching women’s flag football,” said Jim Carr, NAIA president and CEO. “This is a fantastic opportunity for our members to expand their athletics programming with support from valuable partners like RCX and one of the most relevant and successful professional sports leagues in the world.”
USM has 21 other varsity sports programs—esports, men’s and women’s swimming, wrestling, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, cross country, and track and field, as well as volleyball, football, baseball, softball, and co-ed cheerleading and dance. Go to GoSpires.com for more information on USM athletics.
ABOUT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS (NAIA)
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. NAIA members provide more than 77,000 student-athletes with opportunities to play college sports, earn $800 million in scholarships and compete in 27 national championships.
www.naia.org | @NAIA
ABOUT REIGNING CHAMPS EXPERIENCES (RCX)
Reigning Champs Experiences (RCX) is the premier youth-sports experiences business, running and operating leagues, camps, combines, tournaments and events across the U.S.
Part of Reigning Champs LLC, RCX works with professional leagues, national governing bodies, sports-centric businesses and brands to reimagine youth sports experiences. RCX produces events with world class partners including the NFL, NBA, Rivals, and adidas.
Reigning Champs is committed to growing youth sports participation and creating a path to college for all students. In 2019, Reigning Champs’ family of businesses donated $23 million in services to deserving student-athletes and families. Each year, Reigning Champs’ innovative platforms support over 2 million athletes across 34 different sports. For more information, visit reigningchamps.com