Manor College Debuts Women’s Flag Football, Men’s Volleyball for 25-26 Academic Year
Interest in both sports from both current and prospective students is incredibly high, Athletic Director John Dempster said.
JENKINTOWN – Manor College will debut Women’s Flag Football and Men’s Volleyball for the 2025-26 school year, the institution announced. Both sports are expected to play their first home games on campus in 2026.
“I am excited to launch these new sports here at Manor College,” John Dempster, Manor College Athletic Director, said. “Women’s Flag Football, in particular, is getting extremely popular and I want Manor College to be a trailblazer for this sport in our area.”
Women’s Flag Football is an emerging sport locally, Dempster said. The PIAA sanctioned the sport for the Spring 2025 season and roughly 1,600 players are members of 65 teams across eastern Pennsylvania, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
On the collegiate level, the Atlantic East Conference, which includes teams from Eastern University, Holy Family University and Neumann University, announced their recognition of women’s flag football as an NCAA sport.
An announcement on a head coach is expected in the near future. Dempster expects the team to field a roster between 10 and 20 players.
The institution already has interest from students already enrolled at Manor. Tori Simmons, a freshman at Manor College studying Veterinary Technology, played flag football for two years while attending Cheltenham High School.
“Girls I played with in high school were familiar with football and it made them want to come out and play,” said Simmons, who currently plays on the women’s basketball team at Manor. “There’s a strong community you gain from playing football. I’m excited to play again at Manor.”
Simmons, who played wide receiver at Cheltenham, plans to play for the Blue Jays next Spring.
Men’s Volleyball
The Blue Jays begin their first Men’s Volleyball season in Spring of 2026. A coach has not yet been named.
Men’s Volleyball has been an official sport sponsored by the NCAA since 2018, and the NJCAA region 19 features eight teams. While Manor College is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), the team would begin as an independent. A proposal to the Eastern States Athletic Conference, of which Manor College is a founding member, is expected in the near future.
The Blue Jays have been home to a Women’s Volleyball team for several decades, most recently competing in the ESAC and USCAA. A unisex volleyball club featuring informal games on campus helped to fuel interest in a men’s team.
The sport continues to grow as well on the high school level, with the top 25 teams from PIAA Division 1 Boys Volleyball hailing from Bucks and Montgomery County.
“With our current student body and new recruits coming in, we are hoping to be competitive in Men’s Volleyball from the beginning,” Dempster said.
About Manor College Athletics
Manor College offers intercollegiate competition in 10 sports: Baseball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, cross country and track and field. Manor College is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association and the Eastern States Athletic Conference.
For more information on Manor College athletics, visit www.manorbluejays.com or email athletics@manor.edu. Prospective athletes may additionally fill out this form.