The New York Jets hosted the first-ever ECAC Women's Flag Football League Media Day at MetLife Stadium today (February 27, 2026.
The Betty Wold Johnson Foundation gave a groundbreaking $1 million grant to the league to transform the landscape of women's flag football.
Callie Brownson, Jets Flag Football Advisor, former assistant coach with the Cleveland Browns and Senior Director of High Performance and National Teams with USA Football, joined SportsJam with Doug Doyle to talk about the league.
Brownson played for the D.C. Divas in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA) from 2010 to 2017 as a free safety and running back, winning two championships. She also won two gold medals with the United States women's national American football team.
Brownson says scholarships will be available to students participating in the new league.
"That's the realiy of the conversation that we're having. It's not just the opportunity to play, but the opportunity to go and play and be fully supported. So that's what is so great about this. The way it's going to evolve in front of our eyes, organically because of the nature of the sport and the nature of the people behind the sport. This is going to be a full-fledged situation where our players get that opportunity."
Brownson says flag football has grown into an extremely physical sport that doesn't compare to the old days in gym class.
"It's not that flag football we remember from our childhood. It is elite. It is fast. It takes a lot of skill that we don't see across other sports. You'll be impressed. It's different than anything you've watched before.
- The new league will begin play in the spring of 2026,
- Regular season games will be played February through April on campus sites.
- 6-8 teams will qualify for a playoff tournament that will be played at MetLife Stadium in May.
- Year 1 will be at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center due to the World Cup.
- Gameplay will feature the 7-on-7 format of flag football.
- 14 universities from all three divisions throughout the Northeast will compete in the inaugural season:
Allegheny College Meadville, PA Division III
Caldwell University* Caldwell, NJ Division II
Eastern University St. Davids, PA Division III
Fairleigh Dickinson* Teaneck, NJ Division I
Franciscan University Steubenville, OH Division III
Kean University Union, NJ Division III
Long Island University Brooklyn, NY Division I
Mercy University Dobbs Ferry, NY Division II
Mercyhurst University Erie, PA Division I
Montclair State University Montclair, NJ Division III
Mount St. Mary’s University Emmitsburg, MD Division I
Union College* Schenectady, NY Division III
Penn State Schuylkill Schuylkill Haven, PA Division III
Sweet Briar College* Sweet Briar, VA Division III
*Will begin play in spring 2027
You can SEE the entire SportsJam interview with Callie Brownson below:
