Flag football
A non-tackling variant of gridiron football invented for military fitness.
Flag football is a version of gridiron football—either American or Canadian, depending on where it’s played—where defenders stop a play by pulling a flag or flag belt off the ball carrier instead of tackling them. Physical contact is kept to a minimum. The game has a strong amateur following, with various associations running national and international tournaments each year, but it is most popular in the United States, where it originated. The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) serves as the global governing body for both men's and women's flag football internationally. Flag football will appear as a medal sport at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, marking the first time any form of gridiron football has been fully included in an Olympic program.
- invented
- Early 1940s during World War II
- birthplace
- Fort Meade, Maryland, USA
- original_name
- Touch and Tail football
- governing_body
- International Federation of American Football (IFAF)
- women's_governing_body
- International Federation of American Football (IFAF)
- first_national_organization
- National Touch Football League (NTFL), formed in the 1960s in St. Louis, Missouri
- first_intercollegiate_tournament
- 1979 at the University of New Orleans
Lore & Background
The best available records point to the early 1940s during World War II as the sport's starting point. It was created as a recreational sport for American military personnel to help them stay fit while preventing injury during wartime. Originally called 'Touch and Tail football,' it became 'flag football' after the war ended. The first known recorded history traces to Fort Meade, Maryland, USA, now generally accepted as the sport's birthplace. The first national organization, the National Touch Football League (NTFL), was formed in the 1960s in St. Louis, Missouri, and has held a national championship game since 1971. Arizona teachers Porter Wilson and Norman Adams invented flag-a-tag belts and flags, the template for flags used today.
Reader's Guide
Flag football's significance lies in its role as a safer, more accessible alternative to tackle American football, especially amid rising concerns about concussions and CTE in the 2000s and 2010s. The NFL has promoted it through NFL Flag youth leagues, inclusion in the Pro Bowl Games, and sponsorship of a future professional league. The sport's inclusion as a discretionary event for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles marks a historic milestone for any gridiron football code. Internationally, the IFAF organizes the biannual Flag Football World Championship, and flag football was contested at the 2022 World Games. The sport features many variations in team size, field dimensions, and rules, reflecting the lack of a dominant sanctioning organization. In the United States, USA Football governs national teams, while USA Flag operates the largest national championships tournament. Collegiate play is governed by the NIRSA Flag Football Rules Book, and the NFL has partnered with the NAIA to add flag football as a varsity sport for female student-athletes.
Did You Know?
- Flag football was originally called 'Touch and Tail football' during World War II.
- The first intercollegiate Flag Football National Tournament in 1979 was hosted by the University of New Orleans, but the winner is not reliably documented.
- The global governing body for flag football is the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).
- Flag football will be a medal sport at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, the first gridiron football code in the Olympic program.
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