Sports · American Football · 2 hrs ago
Gold Coast students compete in Asia-Pacific flag football championship
Ten students from a Gold Coast high school are competing in Shanghai at the NFL Flag Asia Pacific Championship.
They are the only Australian team invited to the event, which is a one-day competition.
Flag football is a non-contact version of American football, played by teams of five who stop opponents by pulling flags from their belts.
The sport will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028, and participation has grown since that announcement in 2023.
The NFL has expanded a school program from 10 Australian schools in 2022 to 750, and announced free flag football kits.
The NFL is paying for the students and two coaches to travel, aiming to reduce barriers for girls and create pathways for young players.
NFL Australia and New Zealand says professional opportunities are also developing, including a planned US league within five years.
Flag football’s Olympic debut is helping drive its growth, while the team’s result in Shanghai is not stated.
Ten students from Palm Beach-Currumbin State High School on the Gold Coast are competing in the NFL Flag Asia Pacific Championship in Shanghai.
They are the only Australian team invited to the one-day event.
The non-contact sport uses teams of five, who try to score touchdowns by passing a football and stop play by pulling opponents’ flags.
Flag football will make its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028.
The NFL is funding the students’ and two coaches’ trip, which it says supports pathways for young people and women in sport.
- Who
- Ten students from Palm Beach-Currumbin State High School, accompanied by two coaches.
- What
- They are competing in the NFL Flag Asia Pacific Championship. They are the only Australian team invited.
- When
- This weekend, according to the article.
- Where
- Shanghai, China.
- Why
- The team is competing in the championship. The NFL says its funding supports opportunities and pathways in the sport.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A pilot program introduced flag football to 10 local schools.
The move to include flag football in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics was announced.
Ten Gold Coast students are competing in the championship in Shanghai.
- Team size
- 10 students and two coaches
- School
- Palm Beach-Currumbin State High School
- Championship location
- Shanghai, China
- Australian representation
- The team is the only Australian side invited
- Olympic debut
- Los Angeles, 2028
What people are saying
I never thought I'd get into NFL. My life has been all touch,
There's over 20 million people playing in a very short period of time. By the time we get to [Brisbane] 2032 that number will be exponentially higher,
We've recently announced we'll launch a professional flag league in the next five years … where people will be paid to play in the US.