NFL Considers Backers for Pro Flag Football Leagues Ahead of LA28

PALM BEACH, Fla. — The National Football League is actively fielding inbound interest from multiple potential business partners that would be involved in a professional flag football league, sources said. The most probable structure at this point would be an entity that would be heavily supported by, but not operated by, the NFL.

NFL-supported professional flag football leagues, for both men and women, are unquestionably forthcoming. It’s just a matter of when, with soon after the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles becoming an increasingly likely timetable. 

The league has made no secret of its intense interest in promoting flag football, both in a youth participation context and a professional one—particularly in the wake of the inclusion of the sport in the 2028 Games and the potential involvement of NFL players there. Now, further steps are beginning to take shape. 

“Flag is real. All levels of flag are real. I’m really, personally, bullish on this,” said Chiefs president Mark Donovan. “When you add in all the pieces that are coming, including the things happening around women’s sports, the investment going into that, I think flag is poised to be enormous.”

Donovan continued in his view that the 2028 Olympics will be a watershed moment for the development of flag football, with “rumblings and the creation” of the pro leagues likely preceding that event, and the actual entities following. 

“I think the Olympics piece is a compelling point for any [NFL team] owner,” Donovan said. “You’re going to see us get aggressive in establishing the organizing bodies, the accreditations. … There are plenty of people who would want to invest in [this].”

Flag football is a prominent part of the NFL annual meeting being held here this week, with the three-day session kicked off in part by a session focused on women’s sports and flag football that included WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark, women’s tennis icon Serena Williams, and former Giants quarterback Eli Manning. 

“It was interesting to hear Caitlin say, ‘If flag football was around when I was growing up, I might not be a basketball player,’” said Chiefs owner Clark Hunt. 

NFL EVP of club business Peter O’Reilly similarly reiterated on Monday the importance of flag football to the league. 

“It’s an entry point and the way we can scale our game. It’s girls and boys in schools,” O’Reilly said. “Since that Olympic announcement a couple of years ago, investment around the world in flag programs is huge. That obviously has a participation impact, but it also has a fandom impact in a very real way.” 

The establishment of professional flag football leagues will also very likely be joined by media contracts fetching interest from multiple bidders. 

Senior writer Michael McCarthy contributed to this story from New York.