FLORENCE, Ala. (September 30, 2025) – On Tuesday, University of North Alabama announced the addition of one new program to the athletic department, alongside the expansion of two existing programs, to begin competition in 2026-27. The Lions will add women's flag football and expand its men's and women's cross country programs into distance-based indoor and outdoor track teams.
This will elevate UNA's athletic department to 19 athletic programs.
The addition of distance-based men's and women's indoor and outdoor track programs will create four new opportunities while leveraging the existing cross country programs. UNA's launch will consist of a phased entry to growing the program with an initial emphasis on distance runners.
Meanwhile, women's flag football received an NCAA emerging sport recommendation earlier this year as the fledging women's sport experiences rapid growth in Alabama and throughout the southeastern United States. As an early adopter, UNA will establish itself as a leader in one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.
"The University of North Alabama has experienced a great deal of growth since 2018 when the University transitioned to NCAA Division I status," said UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts. "From record enrollment to record retention and graduation rates, it should come as no surprise that we would also experience growth in Athletics, inclusive of the number of sports offered to our students. The addition of women's flag football as well as men's and women's indoor and outdoor track enhance our already robust offerings and pave the way for the next chapter in the championship tradition of Lion Athletics."
UNA becomes the second Division I school in Alabama to add women's flag football, joining Alabama State who announced the sport in 2024-25. The Lions are among the first six schools to announce women's flag football as a sponsored varsity sport at the Division I level along with future United Athletic Conference opponent UT Arlington, Mount St. Mary's, LIU and Mercyhurst.
Alongside explosive national growth in women's flag football, more than 130 Alabama high schools now sponsor the sport and the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) added flag football to the Super Seven State Football Championships last December at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. Neighboring states of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee also sponsor sanctioned high school state championships. With expected growth at the collegiate level, women's flag football is set to make its Olympics debut at the 2028 games.
Both programs will utilize the Cox Creek Sports Complex, which was constructed in Fall 2024 with a multipurpose turf field as part of the Bank Independent Stadium project. Following a generous donation, the Hulet and Jacqueline Gregory Track was installed around the turf field in Spring 2025 – an official dedication is being planned for later this year. The complex contains ample space to add facilities for field and throwing events in the future.
"This announcement is a celebration of momentum made possible by a community that has invested boldly in our athletic facilities and future over the past few years," said UNA Director of Athletics
Dr. Josh Looney. "That investment is now unlocking new avenues for growth as we activate these spaces to elevate the experience of current student-athletes and create additional opportunities for future Lions. With the addition of women's flag football, UNA is not just expanding — we're leading. We're at the forefront of a rapidly growing sport in our region, and this move continues our trajectory of innovation, opportunity and competitive excellence."
This marks the first sport expansion for UNA since 2018 — the first year of the Division I era. The Lions added women's golf and beach volleyball that season, who now enter their eighth year of competition.
About NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track
Since 2016, NCAA Division I institutions have significantly expanded sponsorship of women's indoor and outdoor track & field. Today, 95 percent of Division I schools sponsor women's outdoor track, making it one of the most widely supported women's sports in the nation.
The addition of distance-based men's and women's indoor and outdoor track provides growth within the UNA cross country program, which is coming off a historic 2024 season. The cross country program became the first to win an Atlantic Sun Conference championship in 2024 as
Brian Bett won the ASUN Individual crown.
The track program is expected to create more than 40 more opportunities for student-athletes to compete for UNA at the Division I level.
Current UNA cross country coach,
Connor Callahan, will lead the new track programs in addition to his current role.
"This expansion is something we have talked about since I arrived," said Callahan. "With the leadership and the vision Dr. Looney and (Assistant AD) Dr. (Janae) Lyde, I knew this was not just talk but something that could become a reality. I am blessed to be given the opportunity to help expand the cross country program into a full track program. The expansion of track will open more roster spots in a time when schools are cutting spots. This expansion is going to have a significant impact on the future of our team and this athletic department. This is an incredible opportunity for current and future Lions."
About NCAA Women's Flag Football
In February 2025, women's flag football was formally recommended for inclusion in the NCAA's Emerging Sports for Women program, with championship sport status anticipated by 2027 or 2028.
The sport is experiencing rapid growth in the Southeast region, as eight Alabama community colleges have recently added women's flag football programs. One of those resides at nearby Northwest Shoals Community College, which has utilized the Cox Creek Sports Complex for home events this fall.
Alongside Alabama State, UNA is now at the forefront of the sport's growth at the Division I level. UNA becomes the sixth known school to announce a Division I varsity program, while many other Division I departments currently have active club teams. There are currently more than 50 collegiate programs sponsoring flag football in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, primarily at the junior college and NAIA level.
On a national scale, the NFL has launched the NFL FLAG campaign with over 2,000 youth leagues and over 800,000 youth athletes in all 50 states. At the high school level, girls' flag football was officially sanctioned as a high school sport in Fall 2021 with support from NFL FLAG and others. More than 130 Alabama high schools sponsor the sport with recent state championships held at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn and Protective Stadium in Birmingham.
Women's flag football received a recommendation from the NCAA Committee of Women's Athletics to become an emerging sport in February 2025, with Division I expected to vote on adding the sport to the emerging sports for women list in January 2026. Women's flag football will also make its debut in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
With proven growth in the sport, UNA's new flag football program is uniquely positioned to join the movement. The Cox Creek Sports Complex has already hosted both soccer and flag football events and will be available to the program right away. The sport is projected to provide over 25 new opportunities for female student-athletes to compete the Division I level.
A national search for the program's first head coach will begin this fall.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
