First NFL FLAG Championships Coming This Summer

The NFL announced that the NFL Flag Championships, the world's premiere youth football flag tournament, will be hosted July 19-21 at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio. The NFL Flag Championships will feature over 280 teams of boys and girls that are the NFL Flag regional winners from across the country representing all 32 NFL clubs.

“The worldwide broadcast of the NFL Flag Championships, being held at the center of football excellence in Canton, Ohio underscores NFL Flag's popularity and its global reach," said Troy Vincent, Sr., executive vice president of NFL football operations. “This tournament emphasizes the importance of flag football and will showcase it as the highly competitive cornerstone of affordability, accessibility, and inclusivity of football for all." 

Coverage of the NFL Flag Championships will be available in over 125 countries on ESPN-branded networks including Australia, Brazil, Netherlands, New Zealand, Mexico and throughout Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands.

“The NFL Flag Championships is ESPN and Disney's newest opportunity to support the NFL's tremendous work around flag football," said Julie Sobieski, ESPN senior vice president of league programming and acquisitions. “The summer tournament adds a signature event on our year-round NFL calendar and further deepens our youth-focused initiatives."

NFL Flag, operated by RCX Sports, will produce the three-day competition in partnership with Omaha Productions.

"The inaugural NFL FLAG Championships is the most prominent stage these athletes will have ever played on," said Izell Reese, CEO of RCX Sports, executive director of NFL Flag and a Global Flag Football Ambassador. "As we look ahead to the 2028 Olympic Games, it's encouraging to see how our mission of increasing accessibility and inclusivity has led to more kids getting involved in NFL Flag. I'm excited to see how many athletes competing here in Ohio may be competing to represent their country on the global stage in four years."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in October 2023 that Flag Football will be included in the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Flag football is the world's fastest-growing sport, played by over 20 million people in more than 100 countries, across six continents. It is the most inclusive and accessible format of football, played by people of all ages and genders, with female athletes driving some of the fastest growth. The Pro Bowl Games youth participants as well as Global Flag Ambassadors will make appearances at the NFL Flag Championships to promote the growth of flag football and bring awareness to the event.

For more information on NFL Flag football and to find a league in your neighborhood, please visit here.