The NFL announced on Monday, March 30, that it is launching a new, professional flag football league for both men and women. The move comes in advance of the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, when flag football will debut as an Olympic sport.
The new league will be supported by a lengthy list of investors that includes NFL legends Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana and Larry Fitzgerald. The NFL is also partnering with TMRW Sports to develop and operate the league. TMRW Sports — founded in 2022 by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and CEO Mike McFarley — is most notable for operating TGL, an indoor, simulated professional golf league.
“Flag football represents so much of what makes this game special, showcasing the skill, creativity, and competitiveness that define this sport,” Brady said in a statement. “Flag football’s rapid rise has been incredible, and the extensive list of current and former players supporting this league shows just how strongly athletes believe in its future.”
In a news conference to announce the new flag football league, McFarley said that the plan is to operate on a summer schedule leading into the NFL season. He sounded as if the plan is to start play in 2028, ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics, but he did not commit to that timeline.
“Seeing the accelerant that the Olympics continue to be for so many sports all around the world,” McFarley said, “we want to make sure that we’re able to … capitalize on that.”
NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly noted that flag football is among the fastest-growing sports in the world, with 20 million participants across 100 countries. In the U.S., flag football is offered at the high school level in 39 states, including Arizona, which introduced the sport in 2023.
That growth, O’Reilly said, was the impetus for the NFL’s interest in this new venture.
“What’s been missing in that pathway is a professional league,” O’Reilly said. “And that professional league is where these kids can aspire to go play, and where the athletes who will compete in the Olympics every four years can earn a living.”
