IFAF, AFA and NFL join forces to drive flag football development in Australia

A senior International Federation of American Football (IFAF) delegation comprising President Pierre Trochet, Managing Director Andy Fuller and Athletes Committee Chair Diana Flores traveled to Queensland, Australia this week to participate in a series of engagements supporting the rapid development of flag football in Australia.

The visit took place in partnership with the NFL, represented by Commissioner Roger Goodell together with senior executives including Peter O’Reilly EVP, Club Business, International & League Events, Brett Gosper, Head of Europe and Asia-Pacific and Charlotte Offord, General Manager NFL Australia & New Zealand.

The group joined IFAF Board Director and American Football Australia (AFA) CEO Wade Kelly, who, under the oversight of AFA Chair Brad French, has masterminded the impressive rise of Australia’s national teams over recent years. The men, now ranked 8th in the IFAF World Rankings, were the biggest movers in 2025 after winning the 2025 IFAF Asia-Oceania Flag Football Championships. The women took silver in the same tournament and qualified for this year’s IFAF Flag Football World Championships with the youngest team in the competition.

AFA is at the forefront of American Football’s explosion in Australia. With more than 8.8 million NFL fans, the country is one of the league’s fastest-growing international markets, ahead of this autumn’s sell-out first NFL regular season game at Melbourne’s iconic MCG stadium.

Flag football participation has been growing in tandem with this fandom and received a major boost with the news that the NFL is investing in an unprecedented initiative to provide every school in Australia with an NFL Flag Football kit ahead of the sport’s Olympic debut at LA28.

The announcement was made at CBus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast, the city that is home to NFL Australia and the NFL Academy for Asia-Pacific, in the presence of Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate.

Across the two days, the combined IFAF/NFL/AFA delegation was invited to participate in a series of private meetings and community engagements that coincided with a gathering of the Brisbane 2032 Governing Board on the Gold Coast.

Players Jordan Mailiata (Australian-Samoan SB winner with the Philadelphia Eagles), Kodie Fuller (Global Flag Football Ambassador), Jared Stegman (Australia quarterback, Asia-Oceania gold medalist and MVP 2025) and Abby Leyshon (Australia Women’s national team) were also involved in the launch, which drew 400 local schoolchildren.

Productive conversations were held with the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee, which continues to finalise its proposal for the sports programme of those Games, with key decisions set to take place over the coming year.

IFAF President Pierre Trochet, said: “Australia is one of the biggest growth markets for American football and I feel the excitement around the sport more intensely each time I visit. The presence of Roger Goodell and the NFL alongside us this week speaks to the ambition and opportunity for our sport in Australia, which is underpinned by the extraordinary dynamic around flag football in particular, ahead of its debut as a marquee event of LA28.”

AFA CEO, Wade Kelly, said: “What an incredible opportunity for young Australians right across the country. Sport is woven into our culture - it brings joy, connection, and pride to all of us. The collaboration between the NFL, IFAF, and AFA is truly something special, opening up countless opportunities for Australians. Flag football is a game for everyone - fast, action-packed, and non-contact. Boys and girls, young and old, tall or short, Indigenous Australians or recent arrivals - everyone loves it. And with Aussies growing up with a ball in our hands, not at our feet, it almost feels like we were born to play Flag.”

IFAF and the NFL are working together to drive the development of American football worldwide. Flag football - the sport’s most accessible and inclusive format - is the cornerstone of these efforts.