NFL pushes for flag football Olympics inclusion after LA 2028 debut
Hopes of an American invasion of the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane have been strengthened as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed he had met with Games organizers to present the case for flag football’s inclusion.
Speaking from the Gold Coast, Goodell said he and other NFL and flag football executives were pitching their moves this week with the concept to be introduced at Los Angeles 2028.
Goodell said the LA Games would change the future of the sport, the non-contact version of American football, and accelerate its growth ahead of Brisbane 2032.
He could not say when a decision on inclusion in Brisbane was expected.
“That’s a decision for the organizing committee to make. We’ll wait when they’re ready to make that decision,” Goodell said as hundreds of children attended a freestyle flag football clinic at Cbus Super Stadium.
“We think 28 will be a huge success. NFL players have expressed interest in playing. We have competitors on both the men’s and women’s sides playing incredible flag football on a global basis.”
When asked why flag football should be considered for the Games at the expense of sports such as surfing, lifesaving or netball, Goodell pointed to Australia’s victories in the Flag Football Asia-Oceania Continental Championship and the success of the Gold Coast-based Asia-Pacific academy.
Seven academy players have received league offers from the premier league, with the first graduate, Nikau Hepi, to move to the Gold Coast from New Zealand, leaving shortly after for mid-year recruitment.
“I’ve seen some of the athletes here… they’re great athletes from this region. I think Australia has a very good chance of medaling,” Goddard said.
“We believe in this market, we believe this is a sports country and we have a tremendous fan base here that is growing rapidly.
“We had the opportunity to get involved in their processes, answer their questions and present a sport played by more than 20 million people in a short time. By 2032, this number will increase exponentially.”
“This is a global game and we were able to present that and why we thought it would be a great opportunity.”
Goddard announced that flag football jerseys will be available in all Australian schools, especially in Queensland and Victoria, and approximately 100,000 students from 500 schools will participate.
The kits will include 12 flag belts, three footballs, and NFL Flag curriculum and resources to support teachers introducing the game to their schools.
The NFL believes Australia is a long-term growth market for the code, with an in-season game between the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers set to be played in Melbourne on September 11.
Goddard stopped short of confirming that Brisbane would one day host a clash at Suncorp Stadium, although he assured reporters that more matches would be played in Australia.
But he said he had visited the facility and hinted that the construction of the Victoria Park venue would strengthen that possibility.
While Goddard confirmed the NFL would continue its investments in Australia beyond the Brisbane Olympics, he said: “I don’t know if we’re there yet. Frankly, they’re talking about building a new Olympic stadium and that seems like a big opportunity.”
“We had the opportunity to see Suncorp Stadium yesterday. [Wednesday] that was exciting for me, it has so much history and tradition. “We’ll get to that stage at some point, but right now we’re focused on Melbourne for the first game.”
Global flag football ambassador Kodie Fuller was adamant that the sport’s rapid growth points to a “very bright future” ahead of us.
“As a Brisbane-born girl, I grew up playing all different sports and found flag football a little later in life. But I’ve seen first-hand the development of the sport in Australia and it’s been phenomenal,” Fuller said.
“Whereas when I first started there were a few more women in the field, now I have hundreds of girls behind me who are picking up the game and falling in love with it.
“To have two silver medals for our women and a gold medal for our men, from a country that has no national team and is not ranked, really says a lot about where we are as a country and where we are going.”
Both Australian teams will compete at the World Championships in Germany this August.
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