Variant of American football
This article is about the sport.
For the flag used to signal penalties, see Penalty flag
Flag football is📈 a variant of American football where, instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag📈 or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a down.
The sport has a strong amateur following with several📈 national and international competitions each year sponsored by various associations but is most popularly played in America where it was📈 invented.
In flag football, contact is limited between players.
The international governing body for the sport is the International Federation of American📈 Football (IFAF).
In 2022, flag football was shortlisted as a proposed discretionary event for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
History📈 [ edit ]
The best available records to date point to the early 1940s during World War II as the sport's📈 starting point.
[1][2] The game began as a recreational sport created for American military personnel to help them stay fit but📈 was designed in a way that would help prevent them from becoming injured during wartime.
At the time it was called📈 "Touch and Tail football", which then became "flag football" after the war ended.[3]
The first known recorded history of flag football📈 can be traced to Fort Meade, Maryland, USA, which is now generally accepted as the sport's birthplace.
The first national flag📈 football organization, the National Touch Football League, was formed in the 1960s in St.Louis, Missouri.
Since 1971, the league has had📈 a national championship game.[4]
Arizona teachers Porter Wilson and Norman Adams invented flag-a-tag belts & flags[5][6][7] that standardised equipment and are📈 the template for flags used in the game today.
Basic rules [ edit ]
The specific rules of flag football vary widely📈 by league, though all share in common their replication of the rules of traditional US-American football with tackling replaced by📈 flag-pulling.
Traditional American football rules are often eliminated or modified to reflect the more recreational nature of the game, the desire📈 to avoid physical contact and injury, and the generally smaller number of participating players per side.
Variations [ edit ]
Flag football📈 is sometimes played on sand.
Chiefly, because there is no dominant sanctioning organization for the sport, the game has mutated into📈 many variations: 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, and 4 players on each side; coed or single-gender; with kicking and punting📈 and with point-after conversions (including some with 1, 2, and 3 point tries) or without; and field sizes that vary📈 from full Canadian Football League (CFL) size, National Football League (NFL) size (120 yards long by 531⁄3 yards wide), to📈 fields a third that size.
An important distinction is whether linemen are allowed to catch passes ("Eligible Linemen") or, as in📈 the NFL / CFL, are not allowed to do so ("Ineligible Linemen").
Flag (and touch) football may also be divided into📈 "contact" or "non-contact", depending on whether or not blocking is allowed; if allowed, blocking is usually restricted to the chest.[8]
The📈 ability or inability for the quarterback to advance the ball past the line of scrimmage (LOS) by running is another📈 rule subject to variation by league.
The sport is also played on surfaces other than a traditional grass football field, including📈 on sand beaches; beach flag football has previously featured as a discipline at the Asian Beach Games.[9]
The IFAF Flag Football📈 World Championship is normally conducted every two years.
IFAF stands for International Federation of American Football.
The International Federation of American Football📈 (IFAF) had selected Israel to host the Flag Football World Championships for 2021 IFAF Flag Football World Championship with World📈 Games places up for grabs.
The Kraft Family Sports Campus in Jerusalem, was originally scheduled to stage the men's and women's📈 events, however, due to expected high winds the games were played at Teddy Stadium.
An IFAF event record of 39 men's📈 and women's teams combined, spanning 22 countries, competed at the tournament in Israel.
Normally conducted every two years, Denmark was scheduled📈 to host the 2020 edition only for it to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The United States retained their📈 men's and women's titles at the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Flag Football Championships in Jerusalem.
The US fought📈 back in both finals, against Mexico to successfully defend their world crowns.
We love the game of American football and are📈 so proud to see the sport's popularity continue to grow internationally in its various forms, including flag football...
[10] Robert Kraft,📈 New England Patriots owner and Kraft Group chairman and CEO, International Federation of American Football News, March 15, 2021
Women's gold📈 [ edit ]
Against Mexico in the women's gold-medal match, the Americans scored 12 unanswered points in the second period to📈 seal a 31–21 victory.
In the semi-finals the US beat Austria 33–6, and Mexico beat Brazil 47–6 to reach the final.
I'm📈 extremely proud of our women coming together...
They were dedicated to the mission at hand, and they succeeded.
- US head coach,📈 Chris LankfordMen's gold [ edit ]
The US Men's team too rallied from behind against Mexico to a 44–41 victory and📈 retain their world title.
A 35–6 win over Panama sent the US through to the final, and Mexico beat Italy 36–35📈 to join them in the tournament's showpiece contest.[11]
Mexico played extremely well, but through the entire process our team made a📈 statement...
They represented their country, the programme, themselves, and their families well and I'm proud of them.
- US head coach, Bryan📈 Garcia
Other nations [ edit ]
Austria defeated Brazil 26–13 to win the women's bronze medal.
Panama edged out Italy 45–40 in the📈 men's third-place playoff.
Medal table [ edit ]
Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 United States 5 1 0 6 2📈 Austria 3 1 0 4 3 France 1 0 3 4 4 Canada 1 0 0 1 5 Denmark 0📈 4 2 6 6 Mexico 0 2 1 3 7 Germany 0 2 0 2 8 Italy 0 0 2📈 2 9 Panama 0 0 1 1 Thailand 0 0 1 1 Totals (10 entries) 10 10 10 30Olympics [📈 edit ]
In July 2022, the National Football League (NFL) and the IFAF partnered on a bid for flag football to📈 be included as an optional event during the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Executive VP of football operations Troy Vincent📈 stated that the sport was "the future of American football", as it was inclusive and had fewer barriers to access.
[12]📈 The NFL had sponsored the inclusion of flag football as an invitational event during that month's 2022 World Games-a multi-sport📈 event featuring sports and disciplines not currently contested at the Olympics-in Birmingham, Alabama.
The men's tournament was won by the United📈 States, and the women's tournament by Mexico.
[13][14] In August 2022, flag football was shortlisted as one of nine sports advancing📈 to the next phase of the bid process.[15]
World Games [ edit ]
The 2022 World Games marked the 40th anniversary of📈 the event, which took place from July 7–17, 2022.
Hosted at Birmingham's historic Legion Field, Flag Football featured eight men's teams📈 and eight women's teams from around the world.
In 2021 the World Games uploaded a beginner's guide to World Games Flag📈 Football.[16]
As the reigning world champions,[17] the United States men's and women's teams both pre-qualified for the 2022 World Games.
The remaining📈 seven teams were selected through the IFAF qualifying process[14]
North America [ edit ]
Children playing the sport in Mexico
USA Football is📈 the governing body of American football in the United States, the sole US member of the International Federation of American📈 Football,[18] and a recognized sports organization of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
[19] Its non-profit mission includes designing and delivering📈 premier educational, development, and competitive programs for American football, including tackle and flag football.
USA Football is the only organization that📈 selects and organizes U.S.
national team (men's and women's) in federation-sanctioned international competition.
[20]USA Flag [ edit ]
USA Flag currently operates the📈 largest National Championships flag football tournament in the United States, along with a club World Championships every January in Florida📈 that eclipsed over 980 teams this past January, 2023, the largest single weekend flag football tournament ever recorded.
USA Flag has📈 grown exponentially each year.
NFL Pro Bowl Flag [ edit ]
For the 2023 Pro Bowl, the National Football League showcased its📈 premier Pro Bowl players and the best of NFL Flag teams from around the country with their skills in a📈 week-long celebration, "The Pro Bowl Games," featuring a new format spotlighting Flag Football.
NFL Flag [ edit ]
The National Football League📈 and its teams have promoted and sponsored flag football leagues in the United States as a youth sport under the📈 branding NFL Flag; in 2020, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson became a chairman and co-owner of NFL Flag, as part📈 of efforts by the NFL to expand its promotion of the sport into other territories.
The program has also placed a📈 particular focus on expanding women's flag football, due to gridiron football having predominantly been played by men.[21][22]
NFL Flag is the📈 largest youth flag football league in the U.S.
An NFL licensed property for girls and boys ages 5–17, NFL FLAG has📈 more than 1,600 locally operated leagues and over 500,000 youth athletes across all 50 states.
In 2020, Superbowl champion and Denver📈 Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson was named co-owner and chairman of NFL FLAG in an effort to help grow the sport📈 worldwide.[23]
The American Flag Football League (AFFL) is a flag football organization that offers youth and women's competition, and in 2023,📈 a men's professional division.[citation needed]
The Canadian Flag Football League (CFFL) was established in 2019 and runs Canada's CFFL National Championship.
[24]📈 The league is affiliated with Football Canada, the national governing body for football in Canada and its variants.
The winners of📈 the CFFL National Championship also gain the opportunity to represent Canada in international competition.
The league's major objective is to help📈 integrate existing adult flag leagues on a nationwide basis.
Depending on the region, teams compete in their Regional Championships, either Eastern,📈 Western, or Central.
The top two teams from each division will advance to the national championship.
There are three divisions for the📈 CFFL: male, female, and mixed.
The Canadian Flag Football National Championships (FFNC) were established in 2007 to provide athletes with the📈 opportunity to develop their skills and compete in national team competitions and eventually the Canadian Flag Football League (CFFL) which📈 was established in 2019.
Since its inception, the format of the championship has undergone several changes.[25]
In 2011, in response to the📈 growth of flag football and the development of Football Canada's Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model, the under-15 co-ed division was📈 replaced by separate boys and girls under-16 divisions.
These divisions supplemented the pre-existing under-18 divisions that were added in 2010.
By 2013,📈 the championship featured three divisions: male and female under-16 divisions and a female under-18 division.
In 2017, with the introduction of📈 the Under-16 Regional Flag Challenge, the championship shifted to an under-18 format with male and female divisions.
Varsity sport [ edit📈 ]America [ edit ]
In May 2020, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), in partnership with the NFL, announced the📈 addition of flag football as a varsity sport for female student-athletes.
[26] The NAIA became the first collegiate governing body to📈 sanction the sport at the varsity level.
Women's flag began during the 2020–21 season as an emerging sport with at least📈 15 teams, and the NAIA and NFL also expected an upgrade of the sport to an invitational level sport by📈 2022 with at least 25 teams.[27]
International [ edit ]
Player at the point of taking other player's flag at a game📈 at Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico City
The International Woman's Flag Football Association, IWFFA, host 8 on 8📈 flag football tournaments and flag football training across the world with participants from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Norway,📈 Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Scotland and several other nations.
The organisation is the largest for women and girls in the sport.
The most📈 active tournament is held each February in Key West, Florida, called the Kelly McGillis Classic[28] where over 90 women and📈 girls teams participate in 8 on 8, semi - blocking contact flag football.
There are no restrictions for girls and women📈 to play.
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) organizes the IFAF Flag Football World Championship every two years since 2002.
The📈 International Flag Football Festival (IFFF) organizes the World Cup of Flag Football featuring teams from the United States, Mexico and📈 several other nations.
United Kingdom [ edit ]
Flag football competition in the United Kingdom is, mostly, 5-a-side, There are two main📈 organisations: The adult only Outlaw Flag League,[29] which run Tournaments in two conferences, the Exile conference and the Bandit conference,📈 from March to October, culminating in playoff and championships.
Secondly, the NFFL, The National Flag Football League, organised by The British📈 American Football Association (BAFA).
At a senior level, there are sixty teams divided into two leagues.
NFFL Division One: Highlands, North A,North📈 B, Midlands, South East, and South West[30] and The Premiership: Highlands, North, South East, and South West, with the top📈 teams qualifying for playoffs at the end of the season.
BAFA also run The Youth Flag Football League (YFFL)[31] and organise📈 teams competing at under 17, under 14, and under 11.
[32][33] Flag football games in the UK are played with five📈 players on each side with no contact, and are officiated according to the IFAF flag football rules with a few📈 minor variations.
[34] The U17s and U14s, and, for the 2023 season U11s, compete in the National Youth Flag Football League,📈 which runs from April to August, with teams playing in Local and regional tournaments to qualify for National Finals Day📈 and ultimately be crowned National Champions.
BAFA National Flag finals [ edit ][35]
Under 14s 2021 South Coast Spitfires 44 20 Leicester📈 Huntsmen 2022 Houghton Bears 34 27 Leicester Huntsmen
Under 17s 2021 South Coast Spitfires 20 18 Coventry Cougars 2022 Nuneaton Jaguars📈 19 8 Northants Titans
Mixed Adult 2022 London Smoke 42 33 Cardiff Hurricane
Adult Division 1 2022 Reading Devils 52 27 Swansea📈 Hammerheads
2021 Final Standings U14s U17s 1.
South Coast Spitfires 1.
South Coast Spitfires 2.
Leicester Huntsmen 2.Coventry Cougars 3.
Chorley Buccaneers Cutlasses 3.Waveney Wolves📈 4.London Blitz 4.
South London Renegades 5.Nuneaton Jaguars 5.London Blitz 6.Solent Red Storm 6.
Brighton & Hove Scorpions 7.Houghton Bears 8.
Chorley Buccaneers📈 BladesSee also [ edit ]
