Hopes of an American invasion on the Brisbane 2032 Olympics have been given a boost, as NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed he had met Games organisers to pitch flag football’s case for inclusion.
Speaking from the Gold Coast, Goodell said he and other NFL and flag football executives had presented their push this week, with the concept to be debuted in Los Angeles 2028.
Goodell said the LA Games would change the future of the sport – the non-contact iteration 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 organising committee. We’ll wait for when they’re ready to make that decision,” Goodell said, as hundreds of children participated in a free flag football clinic at Cbus Super Stadium.
“We think ’28 is going to be a great success. NFL players have expressed their desire to play. We have competitors both on the men’s and women’s side that are 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 surf lifesaving or netball, Goodell pointed to Australia’s triumphs at the Flag Football Asia-Oceania Continental Championships, and the success of the Gold Coast-based Asia-Pacific academy.
Seven academy players have garnered division one college offers, with its first graduate Nikau Hepi – who moved from New Zealand to the Gold Coast – leaving shortly for midyear intake.
“I’ve seen some of the athletes here … they’re great athletes from this area. I think Australia has a very good chance of getting a medal,” Goddard said.
“We believe in this market, we believe this is a sporting nation, and we have a tremendous fan base here that’s growing quickly.
“We had a full opportunity to engage in their process and answer their questions, and present a sport that over 20 million people are playing in a short period of time. By the time we get to 2032, that number will be exponentially higher.
“It’s a global game, and we were able to present that and why we think it would be a great opportunity.”
Goddard announced flag football kits would be made available in all Australian schools, beginning with in Queensland and Victoria, with nearly 100,000 students across 500 schools participating.
The kits will include 12 flag belts, three footballs, and NFL Flag curriculum and resources to support teachers introducing the game into their school.
The NFL believes Australia is a long-term growth market for the code, with an in-season fixture between the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers to take place in Melbourne on September 11.
Goddard stopped short of confirming Brisbane would one day host a clash out of Suncorp Stadium, despite assuring reporters that more games would be played in Australia.
But he said he had visited the facility, and hinted the construction of the Victoria Park venue would strengthen that possibility.
“I don’t know if we’ve gotten to that point right now. Obviously, they’re talking about the new construction of an Olympic stadium, and that looks like a great opportunity,” Goddard said, while confirming the NFL would continue its investment in Australia beyond the Brisbane Olympics.
“We had the opportunity to see Suncorp Stadium yesterday [Wednesday] which was a thrill for me, it’s got a lot of 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 the rapid growth of the sport indicated “a very bright future” was ahead.
“Being a Brisbane-born girl, I grew up playing all different sports, and then found flag football a bit later in life. But I’ve seen first-hand the growth of this sport in Australia, and it’s been phenomenal,” Fuller said.
“It went from having a couple of other women on the field when I first started to now we’ve got hundreds of girls behind me picking up the game and falling in love with it.
“Going from an unranked nation that had never had a national team, to now having two silver medals for our women and a gold medal for our men, really says a lot about where we are as a country and where we’re going.”
Both Australian teams will compete at the World Championships this August in Germany.
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