Women's Flag Football Explodes In US As 2028 Olympics Beckon
Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, is spreading like wildfire among US girls drawn by the prospect of its inclusion in the 2028 Olympics, its popularity even sparking plans for a professional league.
"It's the youth version of pickleball, the fastest growing adult sport," says Michael Colt, comparing flag football to the racquet sport that's all the rage among the over-30s. "It's crazy."
Colt, 44, coaches the Staten Island Giants, last year's under-18 US champions.
Since he co-founded the club in 2019, its youth teams have earned a host of national titles and sent several players to the national team.
Colt said it had been "a struggle" early on to gain recognition and find backing.
"We fought for everything," he said. "We were kind of always pushed to the side, like this wasn't serious.
"And I see that about the sport to this day, when you're asking the difference in the sport. In the beginning, nobody really wanted to coach girls."
The Giants' trajectory mirrors that of the sport as a whole. Developed as an alternative to collision prone tackle football, girls' and women's flag was relatively unknown six years ago.
Yet particpation reached close to 270,000 girls aged six to 17 in 2024, according to the USA Football, which oversees US teams in tackle and flag football -- and Colt's Giants club has the financial backing of the NFL's New York Giants.
Even as the NFL throws its impressive weight behind the game, the scope of flag football can still come as a surprise to the uninitiated, especially the opportunity it provides for gridiron-loving girls.
When 14-year-old Brielle Caetano talks about flag, which she has been playing since kindergarten, people "are very in shock".
"And (then) I tell them you can get a (university) scholarship from that," Caetano added. "They're definitely in shock."
"Football has always been considered a boy's sport," noted 16-year-old Annie Falcone of the familiar high-contact game whose pinnacle is the NFL. "But flag football has grown so much for women of all ages."
In flag football, most often played in a five-on-five format, an offensive player is "tackled" by pulling one of two "flags" worn on a belt around the hips.
No blocking is allowed, further reducing the risk of injury in a game that focuses on running and throwing skills.
"It's just incredible to me how fast flag overall is growing, but really led by girls and women," said Scott Hallenbeck, USA Football's chief executive officer.
"In my probably 30-plus years of being involved in sports, I've never seen a discipline of a sport scale (up) as fast as we're seeing flag."
Hallenbeck said a lot of credit for that growth goes to the NFL, which is pushing to develop the game.
That includes at the youth level, with the NFL organizing its own national flag tournament for boys and girls in July this year, with sponsors and a TV broadcasting contract.
While the NFL is the most-watched pro league in the United States, it has struggled to expand the game outside US borders.
The NBA has become a global phenomenon, and elite basketball leagues prosper outside the USA. But tackle football has found a foothold in just a few other countries such as Germany and Mexico.
Hallenbeck said flag football could be an international game-changer.
"(They are) really pushing flag to help grow fandom and opportunities around the world and then obviously putting a lot of emphasis around it here in this country," he said.
Gaining inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is a key part of that campaign, and is already having an effect.
"It's a source of motivation for me and for the girls right now," Falcone said.
The NFL is already looking beyond the Games, and is "exploring very aggressively now an opportunity to create a professional flag league for both men and women, obviously two different leagues," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in February.
"They're trying to gather sponsors," said Colt. "I definitely think it's going to be a professional sport by 2032." The Staten Island women's flag football team train in New York AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
4 hours ago
- DW
World Cup 2026: Could cohost politics have an impact? – DW – 06/11/2025
A year out from a football World Cup across three countries, tensions between the USA, Canada and Mexico hang over preparations. From travel bans and trade wars to presidential grandstanding, politics could play a part. A year out from the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, host city Los Angeles is engulfed in protests related to the deportation of Mexicans and other minorities, an ever-shifting trade war threatens relations between the three hosts and a travel ban will prevent some fans attending. While the whims of US President Donald Trump make predictions perilous, fans, players and national teams must already start to make plans for one of sport's biggest events, one secured in Trump's first term when relations between the countires were much more harmonious. The ongoing riots are an immediate safety concern for the Club World Cup in the USA, with European champions Paris Saint-Germain set to meet Atletico Madrid in LA on the tournament's opening day on June 15 while the same city will host the first US game of the 2026 World Cup on June 12, a day after the tournament opens in Mexico. Trump's travel ban, which came in to effect on Monday, bars citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the US. An exception was made for "any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state" but not for fans. Iran have already qualified for the World Cup but currently fans would not be able to travel to support them in the USA. Trump sees opportunity in sport The same is not yet true for citizens of Mexico and Canada. And for Andrew Zimbalist, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Smith College in the United States and author of "Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup," putting on a good show to burnish his own reputation is likely to be at the forefront of Trump's mind. Trump issues travel ban for people from 12 countries To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "Mr. Trump has shown a willingness to make exceptions when there's pressure. And I think further that Trump cares. He's a sports fan. He cares about his international image. He cares about the attention that that will come to him when both the Club World Cup in 2025 and the real World Cup in 2026 happen. These are photo opportunities for Trump to bask in in the game's glory," he told DW. Zimbalist added that with Trump, things can always change quickly. "There's a tremendous amount of tension and a tremendous amount of uncertainty about how Mr. Trump will behave, and we never know." World Cup cohosts Canada and Mexico were, along with China, the first countries targeted in the evolving tariff war that began soon after Trump took office. Zimbalist doesn't predict the uneasiness at governmental level will have a significant impact on the tournament, arguing that there will be enough fans prepared to travel for games that any discouraged from doing so will not be noticeable. He also believes that relatively new leaders in Claudia Scheinbaum (Mexico, elected October 2024) and Mark Carney (Canada, elected March 2025) will not allow their countries to become marginalized. "I think both with Carney in Canada and Scheinbaum in Mexico, that he has met his real enemy. These leaders are not bowing down to him, and they're both very, very smart, very well prepared, and at the moment, are popular in their countries. And so they have the latitude to take on Trump." Mexican fans uncertain on match travel Nevertheless, for Mexican fans in particular, traveling across the border to World Cup, or indeed Club World Cup games, in the USA is a fraught business. "I don't feel afraid to go to the United States but it feels little bit like going to someone else's house where you are not welcome," said Alan, a Pachuca fan talking to DW ahead of his team's participation in the Club World Cup. Iran fans will not be able to travel to World Cup games in the USA as things stand Image: Ismael Adnan Yaqoob/Anadolu/picture alliance Other Pachuca fans complained that significant visa processing delays, some up to two years, meant they would have been unable to travel to support their team even without the current safety concerns. "Appointments were delayed and then the president said that some Mexicans shouldn't go there, I think that has a big influence on why they're taking so long with the visas," said Axel. "I would feel a little unsafe around the police and everything government-related and that side of the United States." While demand for, and interest in, the World Cup will be on a different level to the revamped Club World Cup, which has proved controversial in some quarters, and stands may be filled with foreign nationals who live in any of the North American countries, it does seem like political relations will have some impact on fans, even if the stands will be full. Canada and Mexico more able to stand up against Trump While Canadians are not quite as central to the current events in LA, the USA's northerly neighbors have been at loggerheads with the Trump administration. The Star Spangled Banner was booed at ice hockey games in Canada in recent months and Carney's surprise election was partly ascribed to his willingness to take on Trump and his plan to make Canada the 51st state of the USA. "Having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign in the last several months, it's not for sale. Won't be for sale, ever," Carney told Trump when the pair met in May in a meeting that was otherwise relatively cordial despite clear tensions. For those hoping to plan a visit to, or participation in, the World Cup, judging the political mood – and the implications of changes in it – have become as important as waiting for results from qualifying. "I could see it happening along the way that if Scheinbaum becomes a little bit more aggressive than Trump wants her to be, or challenges some of Trump's immigration moves, that he would say: "You know what? I might not let Mexico participate in the World Cup, or I might not let this happen or that happen.' So I can see threats like that, but I'd have to believe that they wouldn't be carried out," said Zimbalist, musing on what might play out in the next year but speaking ahead of the LA protests. The Club World Cup, which starts on Saturday and is hosted solely by the USA, is perceived by some as a test of elements of the country's readiness to host the World Cup. But the development or deterioration of relations between the three cohosts will be critical to next year's tournament's success. Edited by: Chuck Penfold
DW
30-05-2025
- DW
World Boxing introduces mandatory sex tests for all fighters – DW – 05/30/2025
The introduction of mandatory gender testing is aimed at competitive fairness and safety. It also focuses directly on Algerian Olympic champion Imane Khelif. World Boxing on Friday announced the introduction of mandatory gender tests for both male and female fighters who want to compete in sponsored competitions. "The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on 'Sex, Age and Weight' to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women," World Boxing said in a statement. The federation said it made the decision in the aftermath of controversy centered around, among others, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif at last summer's Paris Olympics. During a knockout round, Khelif's Italian opponent refused to fight her after baselessly claiming Khelif was not a woman because she hit too powerfully. Khelif went on to climb the ladder and win the gold medal. World Boxing, which has been asked by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to organize the boxing competition for the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, says it has informed the Algerian Boxing Federation that Khelif must submit to a gender test before being allowed to compete in the upcoming Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands from June 5-10. "World Boxing has written to the Algerian Boxing Federation to inform it that Imane Khelif will not be allowed to participate in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes sex testing," read a statement from the world body. National boxing federations will be required to test and confirm the gender of individual athletes and to provide certification thereof to World Boxing before they are allowed to compete. Do the Olympic rules have to change? Athletes' rights activist Payoshni Mitra speaks with DW To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video How will gender testing work? The new policy will require all athletes over 18 to undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic test before they will be allowed to participate in World Boxing-sanctioned events. The tests are conducted with a nasal or mouth swab, or with a blood or saliva sample, in order to detect genetically specific material to determine a person's assigned sex at birth. "The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case the SRY gene, that reveals the presence of the Y chromosome, which is an indicator of biological sex," World Boxing said. World Boxing said that athletes seeking to compete in women's categories will "be referred to independent clinical specialists for genetic screening, hormonal profiles, anatomical examination or other valuation of endocrine profiles by medical specialists," if initial test results show evidence of male chromosomal material. The new policy also provides the possibility of appeal. Imane Khelif has announced plans to defend her gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and is expected to return to international competition at Eindhoven next week. "For me, I see myself as a girl, just like any other girl. I was born a girl, raised as a girl, and have lived my entire life as one," she said back in March. Edited by: Zac Crellin
Int'l Business Times
30-05-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Rooted In The Earth, India's Traditional Mud Wrestling Thrives
Crowds cheer as muscular men in tight loincloths slap sacred scented soil on their bulging thighs and arms for a mud wrestling bout in India. "When we fight, we sweat," said 33-year-old Mauli Jamdade, a wrestling star in Maharashtra state, rubbing red-brown earth onto his body for each clash. "The mud gives us grip and helps us grapple better." Unlike conventional wrestling matches played on mats with regulated draws, India's mud wrestling is more raw -- but has been the training ground for Olympic success. This style of wrestling, known as "kushti" or "dangal", has millennia-old roots but emerged during the period of India's Mughal rulers in the 16th century, blending traditional hand-to-hand combat with Persian martial arts. There are no blows or kicking, but plenty of throws to the ground, and it remains hugely popular. It took Jamdade over 15 minutes to defeat his rival, starting with a slow circling dance then twisting, turning and locking arms, before he pinned him down. The bout ends when one wrestler pins his opponent's back to the mud, irrespective of how long it takes. Both men and women Indian wrestlers have won medals at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games in the more regulated form of the sport. But it is the mud, not mat, version that is popular in swathes of rural areas -- with supporters saying it is not just a spectacle but a tradition that many want to uphold. Bank cashier Anil Harale ended his wrestling career after injuring his leg, but after work still slips out of his office clothes for a dirty wrestle. "I miss it," said the 46-year-old, who hopes his "unfulfilled dream" will be realised by his teenage son, an aspiring wrestler. Wrestler KD Jadhav, who took bronze at the 1952 Olympics -- the first Indian to win an individual Olympic medal -- began his sporting career as a mud wrestler in Kolhapur, a city in Maharashtra. "It is from mud that wrestlers reach the Olympics," said excited fan Sachin Mote, among hundreds cheering the wrestlers at a bout. Kolhapur is a core base of the sport with its centuries-old residential gymnasiums known as talims. A picture of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman -- a deity worshipped by wrestlers for his strength and devotion -- gazes over waist-deep pits where the soil is dug. The earth is mixed with turmeric, yoghurt and milk, as well as neem tree leaves and oil, before it is ploughed and smoothened across the ring. For the wrestlers, the soil is sacred. "It is everything," said Jamdade. "There is nothing without it." More than a hundred wrestlers -- some as young as 10 -- train at the talim. It is an austere life. The rigorous training includes waking up before dawn, running, hundreds of push-ups, rope climbing and grappling. Tobacco and alcohol are strictly prohibited, phone usage is restricted and pre-marital relationships are considered a distraction. For Jamdade, the first year at the talim was all about gaining weight -- and that is an expensive affair. "There are people who weigh 125-130 kilos (275-285 pounds)," he said. "To fight with them, and match their strength, I need to be at least 120 kilos." So when he is not in the ring or training, Jamdade focuses on eating. That includes at least five kilos of goat meat each week, some 70 egg whites, 24 apples, leafy vegetables and dry fruits. He washes that down with at least 21 litres of milk, 14 litres of sweet lemon juice and a protein shake made with almonds, cashews, honey, cardamom seeds, honey and milk. His monthly food bill totals $350 but the prize money he has won helps his family, who are from a poor farming background. Winnings range from a few hundred dollars to $1,700 -- more than the annual average income of an agricultural household in India. While the popularity of more organised wrestling on mats has grown, Jamdade believes mud bouts have a safe future as a core part of village fairs. "Fairs will always continue," he said. "Mud wrestling will never end." Unlike conventional wrestling matches played on mats with regulated draws, India's "mud wrestling" is more raw AFP Young wrestlers rest as they watch others train at the Shree Shahu Vijayi Gangavesh Talim, a residential gymnasium in Kolhapur, India AFP Spectators watch a bout of traditional mud wrestling during competition AFP
