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Non-contact version of American football on the offensive in UK

The Guardian

|

August 19, 2024

Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, is rapidly catching on in the UK, with a surge in the number of schools involved and participation numbers likely to hit 100,000 by 2026.

- Robert Booth

Non-contact version of American football on the offensive in UK

Fuelled by an energetic campaign by the New York-based National Football League (NFL) to encourage young people in Britain to try it, teams such as the Northants Ducks, the South Coast Spitfires and the London Fruitbats are experiencing rising demand.

School PE teachers have also reported increased interest among children, driven by the game's rising global profile and parents' concerns that rugby and full-contact American football pose too great a risk of brain injury. A total of 343 schools entered events for the UK NFL Flag National Championship this year, an annual increase of 78%.

"In the last three years it has gone berserk," said Jay Taylor, who founded the Fruitbats flag football club in Ealing. "Flag football has a chance of sticking here, because there is nothing like it."

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