It’s not everyday you get to try your hand at one of the capital’s fastest growing sports alongside your national team, let alone do so alongside NFL stars.
At the launch of their flag football league’s fourth year on Monday, the New York Jets announced a new elite travel team in their bid to increase young girls’ access to sport.
Jets Elite Flag London, the first team of its kind in the UK, will allow the division’s best talents to train regularly with the Jets’ squad and experience American football at a professional level.
It marks the latest step in the Jets’ program Jets Flag Elite, which was founded last year with the aim to grow the game overseas, ahead of its Olympic debut at the 2028 games in Los Angeles.
The teams who attended the launch, including last year’s champions Ealing Fields, were joined by members of Team GB’s women’s squad and Jets linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball, as they took part in various drills at Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club.
Flag football, a non-contact variety of American football, has seen year-on-year growth since NFL Girls Flag League was established in 2023.
An all-time high of more than 300 girls aged between 12 and 15, from 32 schools across London, are taking part this year.
Watch the video below to find out why the capital is at fever pitch for flag football.
Feature image: Oliver Whitmore
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