On Sunday, July 20, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), a Division I conference of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, will host MEAC Girls on the Gridiron Football Clinic for the third consecutive year. After two years at Norfolk State University in Virginia, this year’s event will be held on the campus of Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Earlier this year, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics officially recommended that the sport of flag football join the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. Should that happen, the girls and young women (ages 12 and older) attending the clinic may find collegiate sports opportunities in their future.
“One of the things for my vision is providing more opportunities for our student-athletes and getting girls interested in football who are probably already playing football in their neighborhoods,” said MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills. “Being able to get it in an organized sport further amplifies the opportunities.”
If flag football officially becomes an emerging sport, 40 colleges and universities must then sponsor the sport at the varsity level for it to be considered for championship status. Stills said a couple of schools in the MEAC already have flag football as a club sport, so transitioning to a varsity sport should be relatively easy.
“As we look further down in our strategic long-range plan, I believe flag football will be one of the sports that eventually we’ll add,” Stills said. “Women are already interested in it, so it would be a great addition to the conference.”
Football coaches from across the MEAC, along with two football student-athletes from each institution, will take part in Girls on the Gridiron. They will lead skills sessions, drills and coaching for participants. Moving the event to Baltimore allows the conference to introduce flag football to another sports-loving community and make a positive impact. Stills hopes at least 200 girls and women will participate. At the end of the event, the coaches and student-athletes will select an MVP.
“I get a kick out of watching their skills,” said Stills. “They are so talented. That really excites me. The NFL brought it together to have women’s flag football at the 2028 Olympics, and I want to have HBCU representation on those teams. That was my goal when we started Girls on the Gridiron.”