LONDON — The NFL plans to launch professional flag football leagues for men and women “in the next couple of years,” commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday.
According to the timeline outlined by Goodell at a sports conference in London, the leagues would be created ahead of the 2028 Olympics, which will feature flag football for the first time. The 2028 Olympics are being held in Los Angeles.
“We’re committed to creating a women’s professional league and a men’s professional flag league,” Goodell said at the Leaders in Sport conference at Twickenham Stadium. “We’ve had a great deal of interest in that, and I expect that we’ll be able to do that, launch that, in the next couple of years.”
The league has prioritized flag football as a way to attract young fans, both male and female.
“The demand is there. We’re seeing colleges in the states and universities internationally also that want to make it a part of their program,” Goodell said.