Changes are coming to the lineup of intercollegiate sports offered at Guilford College as women’s flag football will be added in 2026-27 and women’s swimming is being discontinued this fall. The changes are related to a review of college-wide programs.

Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. At least 65 NCAA schools are sponsoring flag football at either the club or varsity levels this year. And according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, flag football has become increasingly popular with about 500,000 girls under the age of 17 in the U.S. participating. Flag football has also been added as a sport for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The search for a women’s flag football head coach and the recruiting of student-athletes to compete next year at Guilford will begin in the fall.  

In recent years, women’s swimming has struggled to meet NCAA minimum requirements for sports sponsorship with limited student participation. Women’s swimming has been a part of the intercollegiate program since 2004. Guilford does not sponsor men’s swimming.

“We are very grateful to all current and past women’s swimmers for their dedication to their sport and to the College,” said Bill Foti, Director of Athletics. “We regret there was not more interest in women’s swimming over the years, and our goal in reallocating resources is increased athletic participation for women student-athletes at Guilford overall.”

With the changes, Guilford will sponsor 12 women's sports and 10 men’s sports, all competing at the NCAA Division III level, with 434 students participating.