The UIS women's flag football program will join the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) as an affiliate member beginning with the 2028 season, the conference announced Saturday. The Prairie Stars will maintain full-time membership in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) while competing in the GLIAC in flag football.

The GLIAC announced Saturday that it will sponsor women's flag football beginning in 2026-27. The conference will feature five members for the 2027 spring season: Davenport, Lewis, Purdue Northwest, Saginaw Valley State and Wisconsin-Parkside. UIS will become the league's sixth member for the 2028 season.

UIS announced the addition of women's flag football in December as the department's 18th varsity sport. Earlier this year, the NCAA added women's flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program at the Division II level.

Head coach Colin Wood and assistant coach Jim Klein will lead the Prairie Stars through the program's inaugural season in 2026-27. UIS will compete independently during its first season before beginning conference play in the GLIAC in 2028.

The sport continues to experience rapid growth nationwide. More than 100 NCAA institutions are expected to sponsor women's flag football during the upcoming academic year, and the NCAA is exploring the addition of a national championship. Flag football will also make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.