BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Mid-South Conference officials announced on Thursday the addition of flag football to its championship sports beginning in 2026-27.

Flag football is the 28th active sport in the Mid-South Conference following a unanimous vote of the MSC Council of Presidents. The flag football season is contested during the spring.

“It is always exciting to introduce a new sport to the Mid-South Conference and provide additional opportunities for student-athletes to compete and excel both academically and athletically,” MSC Commissioner Chris Wells said. “Flag football continues to experience significant growth throughout the NAIA, and we are excited to provide a conference home for both our current member institutions and new affiliate members competing in the sport.

“We are pleased to welcome our flag football institutions, coaches, and student-athletes to the Mid-South Conference,” Wells added. “We look forward to an exciting inaugural season of competition and to celebrating the achievements of our student-athletes while ultimately crowning the first-ever Mid-South Conference flag football champion this spring.”

Flag football becomes the 13th female championship sport in the Mid-South Conference.

Mid-South Conference flag football boasts 10 institutions -- full-time members Campbellsville (Ky.), Cumberland (Tenn.),  Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), and affiliate members Defiance (Ohio), Indiana Wesleyan, Midway (Ky.), Northwestern Ohio, Saint Francis (Ind.), and Wilberforce (Ohio).

Earlier this summer, the NAIA announced flag football as its 30th championship sport, elevating the sport from invitational status.

The Mid-South Conference becomes the sixth conference eligible for an automatic bid into the NAIA National Tournament. Sixty NAIA institutions sponsor flag football as a championship sport.

The flag football regular season begins in late January 2027, with the conference tournament scheduled to be contested in Bowling Green in mid-April.