Twelve students made history this weekend. On April 13, a dozen young women played in the first Atlantic East Conference flag football game.

In the initial game of a four-team tournament, Immaculata defeated Neumann, 13-7, at Draper Walsh Stadium in Malvern. The Knights regrouped to win the consolation game against Centenary, 32-0.

Marymount won the tournament with a 52-0 victory over Immaculata.

The scores were not as significant, however, as the debut of the sport.

With the endorsement of and financial support from the NFL and RCX Sports, the Atlantic East announced in June 2023 that it would launch flag football as a varsity sport in the spring of 2025, the first NCAA conference at any level to do so.

Flag football is a club sport this year at four Atlantic East schools (Centenary, Immaculata, Marymount, and Neumann), and the April 13 tournament was the first official competition in the sport.

The Knights were led by QB Giovanna “Gia” Santorello (pictured below), a sophomore physical therapy major.

Others on the roster were Celeste Adjaglo, Courtney Blackney, Victoria Millward, Sydnilah Nahim, Alexis Navarro, Olivia Putting, Yasmailyn Robles, Hayley Strecker, Ya’Nayshia Thomas, Donyjah Wilson, and Ty’onna Wright.

According to Coach Matt Lawson, the four schools will play “a non-traditional season” in the fall of 2024 before sanctioned NCAA competition begins in the spring of 2025. Lawson is serving as coach on an interim basis while Neumann conducts a search for a permanent head coach.

Flag football is similar to the NFL game with some key differences: a shorter field, seven-on-seven play, and no offensive or defensive line players. Instead of tackling, players in possession of the ball are downed when an opponent removes a breakaway flag from their waist belts.

The popularity of flag football is indicative of the booming interest in women’s sports in the U.S. and across the globe. According to an NBC report in December of 2023, it is played by more than 20 million people across more than 100 countries.

Flag football is on track to be an Olympic sport in 2028.