Great Britain targets cross‑sport recruits to build Olympic flag football teams for LA28
On 7 October 2026 Great Britain said it is identifying male and female athletes from other sports to switch to flag football as the sport prepares for its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. British sprinter Amy Hunt, speaking at Sunday's NFL game in London, urged athletes to consider the move and said: "Everyone wants to go to the Olympics so I can see why people are moving sport to get there."
Flag football is a condensed, non-contact version of American football and one of the fastest growing sports worldwide, now played by 20 million people in more than 100 countries. The rapid rise of the women's game was central to flag football being chosen as one of five optional sports for LA28, and the NFL has backed the sport heavily as it seeks Olympic selection for Brisbane 2032, with that decision due before the end of 2026.
Great Britain's women's programme enters the recruitment drive with recent success: the team won the European Championships in 2023 and 2025 and went into this summer's World Championships ranked third. The USA qualify for LA28 as hosts, and GB narrowly missed securing one of the remaining Olympic places at the Worlds when they lost 20-19 to Mexico in the bronze-medal game.
Grace Conway, a long-term member of the GB squad who switched from netball after being introduced to flag football at school at 14, said: "I think it's every athlete's dream to play their sport at the highest level, and what's higher than the Olympics?" Conway, 27, added: "We never thought [flag football becoming an Olympic sport] could be possible. I remember looking up other sports and whether I could transfer, so when the announcement came it was amazing. Now I hope that we can get there." The article notes Conway works as a recruitment consultant and could soon become a professional flag football player.
A number of current GB players have backgrounds in other sports, including Brittany Botterill (football/softball), Phoebe Schecter (equestrian), Marta Mathews (football), Jochebed Frimpong (athletics), Jess Allen (badminton) and Angelica Tait (athletics/snowboarding). US-born Emily Kemp became an ultimate frisbee world champion last year in the same summer she helped GB win the flag Euros and was the Most Valuable Player at the 2025 Euros; she was invited to TMRW's first "talent qualifier."
Chad Ehlertsen, chief executive of the British American Football Association (Bafa), described the recruitment aim and the athlete profile sought, saying: "We are an elite team already, we're a potential medal threat at LA28, but we're really aspirational so we're looking to widen our talent pool." He added: "If you look at the top flag players around the world, they've generally come from certain sports. They have good hand-eye coordination, agility, speed, decision-making under pressure. These are the qualities we're looking for." On coaching and transfer potential he said: "In many ways we're not looking for elite flag players, we're looking for elite athletes that have the potential [to transfer] and then our coaches will help them understand the game."
The NFL announced in March that it would launch a professional flag football league for women and men in partnership with TMRW Sports, the company co-founded by Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods; investors include Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Billie Jean King, Serena Williams and Alex Morgan. The league's first season "could begin next summer" and the first "talent qualifier" was held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday, featuring 57 international hopefuls including GB players. Champ Kelly, TMRW's senior vice president of flag football operations, said: "We're casting a wide net. We want flag football's elite, and we want the cross-sport athlete who doesn't even know yet that flag is their sport." Some of those selected will feature in a Pro Flag Showcase during Super Bowl week in February, and the article notes an increasing number of flag football scholarships are being made available at US colleges.
Participation has surged in Australia, with many athletes switching from Australian rules football, netball and rugby, while the American team has recruited basketball players. Australia's Kodie Fuller commented on the sport's development: "We're a part of history. We couldn't ever have imagined this but every day there's something new happening in flag football that blows my mind."
GB's women's programme is beginning a new training cycle ahead of the 2027 European Championships, with the final LA28 qualification places to be decided in June 2028. The women's programme is holding trials at Loughborough College this Saturday and Sunday where athletes will be assessed across a range of performance pillars; about 70 people have already registered. Conway said increased competition is positive: "That's top-level sport, you're always fighting for your spot... There's no expectation that you know what the sport is. It's just having the right foundation and as long as you're open to trying something new, it could be the best decision you ever make. There's a real pathway there now."