First-of-its-Kind NFL Flag Championships Starts July 18

Many have joked that the NFL games ought to be flag football because of some no-contact rules. However, the NFL is already heavily involved in flag football. In fact, the first-of-its-kind NFL Flag Championships starts on July 18 and goes through July 21. It will be held at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, OH. 280 teams qualified for the event representing 2,860 players who will participate in the new tournament. All 32 NFL clubs will be represented. The championships will feature 280 NFL Flag regional winning teams of girls and boys and six international teams.

So what’s this tournament all about? According to NFL Communications, “NFL Flag is an NFL-licensed property of more than 1,800 locally operated leagues and over 650,000 youth athletes across all 50 states and Canada. NFL Flag is a fun and accessible non-contact program available for girls and boys ages 5-17. Players benefit by being physically active through non-contact, continuous action while learning the fundamentals of football. As well as lessons in teamwork and sportsmanship.”

This sounds like a good way to help kids get physically fit and develop good qualities. I’m all for that. Stephanie Kwok, vice president of Flag Football also added: “This championship will showcase highly competitive games with competition from all 32 NFL clubs around the country. It also exemplifies that flag football at the grassroots level is inclusive and accessible. Every girl or boy that wants to play will have every opportunity to play this game.” 

Event coverage will be very aggressive. In February, ESPN signed a five-year media rights deal that will broadcast the tournaments each year. The network will broadcast 32 hours of live coverage across the three-day championship event, with at least six hours on linear television each day.

First-of-its-Kind NFL Flag Championships Starts July 18

Games will be distributed broadly across ESPN, Disney and NFL touchpoints including Spanish-language coverage of the semifinals and championships. While each game will be available on ESPN+ and NFL+, 20 games will stream on YouTube and six games will also be available on ESPN, with an additional four games available on ESPN2. On Sunday, the platforms for the championship finals will expand to include additional Disney platforms, with both the boys and girl’s games airing on ABC, Disney Channel, Disney XD and ESPN Deportes and streaming on Disney+, ESPN+ and NFL+. Six games across the three days will also air on NFL Network. 

Whew, they are not messing around, they really want you to watch this event! At any rate, it will be a special time for all the young participants. So show your support by tuning in to the first NFL Flag Championships on July 18.

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