Flag football continues to grow in Montana

Last April, on a Saturday night in Missoula, history was made. MSU and the University of Montana (UM) faced off in the first-ever collegiate women’s flag football game between two Montana teams. Now, months later, the ‘Cats are bringing the competition back to Bozeman. 

The Women’s Flag Football Club at MSU started with a passion for the sport and a desire to compete. Before moving to Bozeman, club founders Alyssa Conrad and Cielo Sallee played high school flag football together in Kalispell. “We both just really missed the sport, so when coming here we thought it’d be really cool to create that opportunity for other girls,” Sallee said. 

Their attempt to become an official club started during the Spring 2026 semester. Conrad said she initially considered transferring to UM to compete, but instead decided to try and start a team at MSU. 

Although it was too late in the academic year to become an official club, Conrad and Sallee were able to create an unofficial team in time for the competition with the Griz in April. Together, with no jerseys, no funding and no coaches, the pair gathered a team of 16 players and traveled to UM, where they won the second of two games. 

Now a University-recognized club, the group is searching for more teams to compete against. According to Sallee, most of the people on the team have played flag football before and are serious about the competitive side of the sport. “The people who are on the team this year are 110 percent dedicated,” she said. “They really want to go far in this sport.”

President and vice president Conrad and Sallee, respectively, said their goal is to continue growing the sport. “This year our goals [are] to really just grow the program, become official and make a name for ourselves,” Conrad said. 

In addition to their new club status, the team was also recently accepted into the Continental Divide Conference, allowing them to compete against teams from Idaho, Colorado, Utah and Montana. 

In January, the ‘Cats will travel to Vegas to compete in the inaugural College Football Playoff (CFP) Flag Football Showcase during the CFP National Championship Weekend. “We’re just really excited about that and just growing the club and growing the sport as a whole in Montana,” Conrad said.

Conrad said one of her favorite parts of starting the club has been getting to know everyone. “I really love the team and I love the group of girls because we’re super close,” she said. 

As the team continues to grow, Conrad said one of their next goals is to become a club sport. Part of that process includes being an official club for at least a year. In the meantime, the group is hoping to gather community support. “Keep following our Instagram, join our TikTok and just come support us as a club at [MSU],” Conrad said. 

The team is currently looking for support from businesses and community members to fundraise for future travel and other related expenses. Links to its GoFundMe and Venmo can be found on its Instagram. 

Those looking to cheer on the ‘Cats can catch their first competition, the Turkey Bowl, in Bozeman on Nov. 7. The exact times and location of the games will be updated on the team’s social media once confirmed. 

To follow the team’s season, visit its Instagram @catsflagfootballclub.