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The Indianapolis-based organization that oversees tackle and flag football initiatives across the country has received formal certification as the sport’s first national governing body by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The designation was announced Thursday.
While the USA Football has for years advocated for growth of the sport on the national and international stages, the committee’s certification creates opportunities for the 23-year-old organization to tap into additional educational, training-focused and financial resources.
It also further cements the group’s role in roster development for the U.S. men’s and women’s teams in both the tackle and flag football starting with the 2028 Games, where flag will make its Olympic debut.
“It’s an historic milestone, not only for USA Football but all of us in football, as it’s really the first major step—an official step—for us to lead the Olympic development efforts,” CEO Scott Hallenbeck told IBJ. “Ultimately, one of the critical things we’ll be doing is player identification, player selection, training and then leading the men’s and women’s national teams to the LA Olympics to compete for the gold medal. So it’s just a huge honor for us, and we’re all just incredibly excited about not only today’s news, but where we go with this moving forward.”
USA Football plans to continue growing its national team development program as well as existing education programs and grant offerings.
It also plans to continue working with partners including the NFL, Indianapolis-based NCAA and high school athletic associations to further grow football, including the push for all 50 states to adopt girls flag football as a varsity sport—something that has already occurred in 14 states. The Indianapolis Colts have directly advocated for the Indiana High School Athletic Association to be next in line to adopt the sport into the varsity ranks.
The NCAA is considering adding flag football as part of its “Emerging Sports for Women” program, something Hallenbeck said USA Football fully supports.
The addition of USA Football to its ranks marks the 51st national governing body for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, comprising the summer, winter and Pan American games.
“We are pleased to welcome USA Football to the USOPC family of national governing bodies and can’t wait to see these great athletes take the field as Team USA at LA28,” USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said in written remarks. “The process of becoming a NGB requires demonstrating great commitment to the athletes, to the sport, and to the Olympic and Paralympic community. We thank the leadership and staff at USA Football for supporting those principles and we look forward to a successful partnership.”
Hallenbeck said the organization plans to consider how it can further grow its presence and training outfit across the country, including with the establishment of a physical development academy and ancillary facilities to accommodate athletes.
He said he expects Indianapolis and central Indiana will be part of those conversations, but said he anticipates the group adopting a “hub and spoke” model similar to what’s found in other sports like gymnastics, basketball and soccer.
“We anticipate … starting to very carefully and thoroughly analyze how we build out training academies, training centers and possibly a national academy to develop the sport,” he said. “There are just tons and tons of opportunities and need. So, we’re starting to have some conversations, at least, with key stakeholders of ours about that opportunity. We’re at the front end of all of that, but I sing the praises of Indianapolis and Indiana for all their support.”
The popularity of flag football skyrocketed only after becoming a way to bring home an Olympic gold medal. Even NFL players—think Tyreek Hill and Patrick Mahomes—expressed an interest in possibly trying to make the Olympic roster, much like NBA or NHL players.
Flag football has a powerful marketing arm in the NFL, which has helped organize programs and leagues. The NFL is pushing the game around the world, too, so it becomes even more competitive on a global scale. That only bodes well for flag football’s long-term success and for Olympic inclusion beyond Los Angeles.
USA Football’s volunteer board of directors has NFL ties, too, with Mark Murphy, the president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, and Pete Ward, the chief operating officer of the Indianapolis Colts, serving on it.
“They are the gold standard, frankly, of professional sports,” Hallenbeck said of the NFL. “It’s very important to the sport that they put their weight behind it. It’s a brilliant international growth strategy for the NFL.”
The women’s game, in particular, has seen significant growth. There are now 14 states that have sanctioned high school girls flag football as a varsity sport and several NAIA schools that are offering college scholarships. More than 230,000 girls ages six to 17 played flag football in 2023.
“I’m proud to show young girls around the world that they can achieve greatness in football,” Team USA quarterback Vanita Krouch said in a statement. “I can’t wait for the world to see our team compete in 2028.”
Flag football will be played at the LA Olympics under the rules spelled out by the International Federation of American Football. It will be five-on-five with everyone eligible to catch a pass. The field is 50 by 25 yards, along with 10 yards for each end zone. A touchdown is worth six points.
Team USA has been a dominant force in men’s and women’s flag football on the international scene. They each won gold medals in the IFAF flag football world championships in Lahti, Finland, last year, with the men beating Austria and the women getting by Mexico.
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