NFL Hires Brian Flinn to Drive Global Flag Football Expansion Ahead of 2028 Olympics
✨ Coach, Parents & Player Tips
Coach’s Clipboard: Tell your offense to fake a handoff by cradling the ball for a beat before breaking into a post route—defenders bite on the fake so hard you’d think it’s April Fool’s, leaving your receiver a clear lane to the end zone.
Postgame Parents: Before you pull out of the driveway, huddle up with your kiddo and ask, “What’s one play you’ve got on lockdown?”—that quick pre‐game power chat sharpens their focus, eases jitters, and reminds them you’ve got their back (no frantic “Did you pack your cleats?!” needed!).
Players Snap: Dead-hang from a pull-up bar for 30 seconds after your shower—skip it and your shoulders’ll seize up like grandma’s recliner; nail it and you’ll glide on the field like butter on a hot knife.
🔎 Feature Story
🏅 NFL hires Brian Flinn to lead its global flag football
NFL has named Brian Flinn Senior Vice President, Global Flag Football, to spearhead the league’s international expansion strategy, partnerships and game development from grassroots to professional levels. This move underscores the NFL’s push to harness flag football’s surge in popularity worldwide ahead of its Los Angeles 2028 Olympic debut and the launch of a new co-ed pro league.
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“Flag football is experiencing extraordinary growth across the globe, from youth participation to elite international competition,” said Troy Vincent Sr., NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations.
🌍 Regional Roundup
Maryland: The Baltimore Ravens and Under Armour have partnered with Baltimore County and St. Mary’s County Public Schools to provide $10,000 grants and custom uniforms to 27 additional high schools, expanding the girls flag football program to 132 schools ahead of a drive for state-sanctioned status in fall 2026. This fourth-year initiative has now delivered over $1 million in funding statewide to support sustainable program development.
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Tennessee: Milligan University’s women’s flag football team improved to 18–0 and climbed two spots to No. 7 in the NAIA regular-season coaches’ poll, outscoring opponents 698–104 as it prepares for a postseason tournament to secure an automatic bid to the NAIA Invitational. The unbeaten Buffaloes will conclude their regular season this week before competing in Indianapolis on April 23–24.
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⭐ Player Spotlight
Amaya Wusstig – Quarterback, Sierra Vista High School. Wusstig passed for 3,038 yards and 43 touchdowns this winter, leading the Mountain Lions to the Class 4A state title with a dominant 403-yard, five-touchdown performance in the championship game.
“From the beginning of the season I knew we had the team to win state,” said Wusstig.
📈 Flag Growth Focus
🔥 Maryland Expansion The Baltimore Ravens and Under Armour will bring girls flag football to 27 new high schools in Baltimore and St. Mary’s Counties for fall 2026, growing the program to 132 schools statewide. With over $1 million in funding and custom uniforms provided, this fourth-year initiative advances the push toward Maryland’s full state-sanctioned sport status.
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🏈 National Rankings Stage MaxPreps and iFlag have teamed up to launch the first unified, rankings-backed national championship platform for girls high school flag football. The inaugural MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown will kick off Sept. 11–12, 2026 in Chula Vista, with an East Coast edition slated for 2027, creating a new competitive stage for the sport’s fastest-growing segment.
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📈 WNY Coach Honors The Buffalo Bills’ Week 1 Girls Flag Football Coach of the Week program awards $1,000 to top high school coaches across Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, spotlighting rapid regional growth from 20 teams in 2022 to 91 local programs today (255 statewide). Complementing a middle school pilot now supporting 32 schools, these efforts coincide with NCAA Emerging Sport status for women’s flag football, accelerating the sport’s momentum.
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⚡ FlagSnap Daily Blitz
Flagler Palm Coast’s defense posted a season-high seventh shutout with two TDs from Tori Spann and a freshman pick-six by Malaysia McKay to beat Seabreeze 19-0.
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MaxPreps and iFlag will debut the MaxPreps Flag Football Showdown, flag football’s first unified, rankings-backed national platform, Sept. 11–12, 2026 in Chula Vista, with an East Coast installment slated for 2027.
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The Buffalo Bills honored Pioneer’s Christopher Edwards, Webster Thomas’s Eric Thurley and East Syracuse Minoa’s Brad Keysor as Week 1 Girls Flag Football Coaches of the Week, awarding each $1,000 and a shot at a $1,000 Coach of the Year bonus.
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Professionals outshone NFL stars at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Los Angeles, underscoring that flag football demands specialized skills and year-round training.
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Elmira College fell 38-12 at SUNY Brockport on April 14 despite QB Hannah Smith’s 199 yards and an early score, as turnovers and a stout Brockport defense proved decisive.
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🏁 Final Whistle
“Champions don’t show up to get everything they want; they show up to give everything they have.”
— Dan Gable
