Cheltenham Neptunes player Adam Walker has shared his delight about the “exciting time” ahead for flag football in the United Kingdom.
The sport will be making its debut at the Olympics in 2028 and is a version of American Football. It is fast-paced, skilful and doesn’t involve tackling. It instead uses, as it says in its name, flags.
With the next Olympics heading to Los Angeles, there is a collection of new sports marking a new era with the host selecting a selection of sports to have in the games. In 2028, flag football will be welcomed with Squash, Lacrosse and the reintroduction of Cricket.
Darrell Doucette LAUNCHED this 🚀
— NFL (@NFL) August 30, 2024
📺: IFAF Flag Football World Championships on https://t.co/Zxc6Eo176d and https://t.co/oH85bo49mK pic.twitter.com/Z5pOAAaVYG
“It’s great, it’s really exciting.” Walker said. “Obviously it will bring a lot more people into the sport, a lot more athletes and a really exciting time with the exposure it’s going to get from the Olympics.”
Great Britain currently sits fifth in the Women’s IFAF Flag Football World Rankings and 14th in the Men’s World Rankings. The country is set up well as it looks to qualify for a spot in the Olympics.
To help the cause, the British American Football Association, in partnership with British Universities and College Sport, have set up a Talent ID Tour to find players across the country.
The aim of the events is to find athletes with the key skills for the sport. Four events across the United Kingdom will be hosted, with two in England, one in Swansea and one in Edinburgh.
IOC Session approves @LA28’s proposal for 5⃣ additional sports:
— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) October 16, 2023
⚾Baseball/🥎softball, 🏏cricket, 🏈flag football, 🥍lacrosse and ⚫squash have been officially included as additional sports on the programme for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. #LA28 pic.twitter.com/y7CLk2UEYx
“The more people that play the sport the better,” Walker added. “It is for everyone really, the more everyone is going to improve so it’s a great initiative and great to see more people playing the sport.”
“This season we’ve had a real influx of people coming into the club, we’ve gone from about 25-30 members up towards 50 so, really exciting times. It’s great to see the development of those people that have come in as well.”
Cheltenham Neptunes have had a strong start to their season with a 3-0 record on gameday two in Coventry on Saturday, May 10. They next play in two weeks, when they host all three London sides: the Rebels, Spark and Flash.
“Really good, it’s obviously a very unique game in itself,” Walker said. “It takes people a while to get used to it, but we’ve had some really good results for the Neptunes and the Floods so it’s a positive start.”
