HADLEY, Mass. - The NESCAC Presidents have approved a proposal from the conference athletic directors to allow NESCAC Football teams to participate in the NCAA Division III Championship effective in fall 2026.
"I am pleased to share this information with our football student-athletes, coaches, and administrators," said NESCAC Executive Director Andrea Savage. "The conference has had positive experiences participating in postseason play, and we are pleased that football teams will have the opportunity to participate in the NCAA Championships and share in this experience as well."
NESCAC Football will maintain a nine-game schedule against fellow conference schools. The team that finishes at the top of the standings (after any tiebreakers are applied, if necessary) will earn the NESCAC's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Football Championship. NESCAC teams will be eligible for Pool C "at large" bids if selected.
The NCAA Division III Football Championship consists of 40 teams, with all rounds, except the championship game, played at campus sites.
"The NESCAC Players Association, members from all NESCAC football teams, came together and worked to gain or confirm support of our players, coaches, and athletic directors to bring about this historic vote and finally have our league accept their bid(s) to the NCAA D3 playoffs," said Vaughn Seelicke, junior kicker and founder of the NESCACPA.
"It was an amazing experience to gather a group of student-athlete football players who all were invested in making this historic change to better our league", said Seelicke. "This would not have been possible without the contributions of every member of the association. We had hoped for the change to happen for the 2025 season. But, everything was worth the effort and one more year of waiting because NESCAC Football is going to the playoffs in 2026. Thank you to everyone who signed the petition, shared our work, or supported us in any other way. Additionally, a huge thank you to the NESCAC presidents for hearing our request for change and allowing our teams this incredible opportunity to showcase our schools' talent in football. This marks an amazing day for equity across athletics."
-- Much of release courtesy of NESCAC office
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