BUCS launches regional flag football series

Flag football, a non-contact discipline of American football, is set to be added to the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) competition programme for the 2025/26 season, the organisation has announced.

This year’s competition, co-designed in partnership with the British American Football Association (BAFA) and NFL UK, will be organised on a regional level, with the University of Warwick competing in the standalone Midlands division.

“We’re thrilled to welcome flag football into the BUCS programme,” said Neal Kington, the organisation’s Head of Competitions.

“We’re excited to be working with BAFA and NFL UK to deliver this new discipline, which provides students further diversified options to engage in the BUCS programmes,” Kington added.

The fastest-growing format of the game, both here in the United Kingdom and across the world, is flag football. This is the style that is set to make its Summer Olympics debut in three years’ time in Los Angeles, California.

The addition of this new format is intended to serve not only as further competitive opportunities for current contact players, but also as an accessible entry point into the game for athletes transferring from other sports and those who want to try something completely new.

The new format will also serve as an opportunity for Warwick to make yet more waves in the university game

“Flag is a great opportunity to get involved with the sport, even if it’s non-contact, as a lot of areas in the UK don’t have full-contact teams locally,” said Bolton Whittle, third-year History and Politics student and linebacker for Warwick Wolves, the university’s award-winning American football team.

“Flag is very easy to set up, and hopefully we’ll see a lot of schools begin to form teams,” he added.

Speaking on the new BUCS series, he said: “It’s reflective of the rapid increase in popularity and quality of play in the UK, especially at university level, which has seen huge improvements in funding and attention on social media.”

If this year’s trial season is successful, flag football will be fully integrated into the 54 sport- strong BUCS programme from 2026/27 onwards, with the five regional competitions acting as qualifiers for a National Finals event.

With the Wolves posting a historic BUCS Premier Division North-winning season last year, and former players Laura Carter and Ellie Thorpe being selected to represent Great Britain at the World Games in China over the summer, the new format will also serve as an opportunity for Warwick to make yet more waves in the university game.

“The further expansion of flag football in the UK is incredibly exciting,” said Dr Chris Long, Head of Youth Football and Grassroots Development at NFL UK.

He continued, “adding flag as a university sport is a crucial next step to maintain that momentum. University is a key gateway for many future players, coaches, and fans in the game.”