The SIAC Council of Presidents has approved the elimination of divisions across all conference sports, expanding a model already used in football. At the same time, the Division II HBCU conference is moving into one of the country’s fastest-growing women’s sports.
The Council authorized the conference office to add women’s flag football as a varsity sport beginning with the 2026-27 academic year.
Together, the decisions represent a significant shift in how the SIAC approaches both its existing championships and future athletic opportunities.
SIAC moving away from divisions
The elimination of divisions brings the rest of the SIAC in line with football, which moved away from divisional competition in 2022.
Instead of championships and postseason qualification being influenced by divisional alignment, teams will compete within a conference-wide structure.
The SIAC said the move is designed to enhance postseason opportunities while increasing competition and interest surrounding its championships.
That could be particularly significant in seasons when several of the conference’s strongest programs would have previously competed in the same division.
Rather than geography or divisional placement helping determine the championship picture, the new structure gives the SIAC more flexibility to identify its strongest postseason contenders across the entire conference.
The second move expands the SIAC’s women’s sports offerings.
Women’s flag football has been authorized as a varsity conference sport beginning in 2026-27, opening another participation opportunity for female student-athletes at SIAC institutions.
The announcement also puts the SIAC into an emerging area of college athletics as flag football continues to gain momentum nationally.
The conference did not detail in the release which member institutions will initially sponsor teams or provide a championship format and schedule.
Those details will become important as the SIAC moves toward launching the sport.
What is clear is that the conference sees women’s flag football as part of its larger growth strategy.
The move simultaneously expands opportunities for women and gives SIAC schools an opportunity to establish programs in a sport that is still developing its footprint at the collegiate level.
A changing SIAC
Both decisions were approved during the same 2026 Summer Board Meeting in Atlanta in which the Council of Presidents unanimously extended Commissioner Anthony Holloman’s contract through 2029.
But the elimination of divisions and introduction of women’s flag football could have a more immediate impact on the everyday athletic experience within the conference.
One changes how existing SIAC programs compete for championships.
The other creates an entirely new path for student-athletes.
And beginning in 2026-27, both will become part of the evolving landscape of one of the nation’s oldest HBCU athletic conferences.
