All 32 NFL Owners Back Premier Flag, Launching Summer 2027
Backed by all 32 NFL owners, the new league will pay elite women and men to play flag football a year before the sport debuts at the Los Angeles Olympics.
In brief
- The NFL and TMRW Sports unveiled Premier Flag, a professional flag football league for women and men.
- Play begins in summer 2027, with all Year 1 games in one venue in a host city still to be named.
- A London combine has been held, and a Mexico City event is set for November 22-23.
- Team numbers, salaries, rules and schedules are still to come.
The NFL and TMRW Sports have unveiled Premier Flag, a professional flag football league for women and men that is due to launch in summer 2027, according to the NFL.
A pro tier above youth, college and international play
Premier Flag is designed to sit above the youth, high school, college and international levels, one year before flag football makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The aim is to let top players treat the sport as a full-time career.
The league is backed by an investor group that includes all 32 NFL club owners, institutional and strategic investors, current and former NFL players and women athletes. TMRW Sports has also formed a partnership with IFAF, the IOC-recognized federation responsible for Olympic flag football.
Brian Flinn, the NFL’s senior vice president for global flag football, said: “Premier Flag represents an exciting step forward in the continued evolution of flag football,”. Brendan Donohue, president of flag football at TMRW Sports, described the brand as one that stands for where the sport is headed, “elite, global and accessible”.
The logo, created with Pivot Brand Group, carries two stars for the men’s and women’s divisions. TOGETHXR supports the social content, and the league’s website is PremierFlagFootball.com.
A sport growing at every level
The league arrives as participation climbs. Those numbers, as reported by the NFL:
| Level | Where things stand |
|---|---|
| Colleges | More than 250 U.S. schools field women’s programs |
| High schools | Offered in 40 states, 25 of them at varsity level |
| Olympics 2028 | U.S. women and men, Canada women and men, Italy men and Mexico women have secured berths |
One venue, one host city to be named
League executives confirmed that all Year 1 competition will be played in a single venue, as reported by Sports Business Journal. Populous is designing the inaugural stadium, described as the first purpose-built stadium for flag football, while Transwestern leads the host city and league hub selection. The NFL said the U.S. city will be announced in the coming weeks.
Donohue told Sports Business Journal: “I’m not sure there’s ever been a league that’s launched with more tailwinds,”.
From London to Los Angeles
- The first Premier Flag London Combine took place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with athletes from ten countries. Top performers advance to the 2027 Premier Flag Combine.
- A further talent identification event is planned in Mexico City.
- The inaugural Premier Flag Showcase is set for Los Angeles, an annual event presented live from a custom-built venue.
Ambassadors and open questions
Team USA’s Ashlea Klam and Izzy Geraci, along with Darrell “Housh” Doucette III, are ambassadors who advise on training camps, facilities, uniforms and rules. Doucette told Fox Sports: “We can finally be paid for the sport we invested so much money and time in.”
USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck called the league “an exciting opportunity for everyone from our national team athletes to the kids who dream of playing at the highest level,”.
Fox Sports reports that the number of teams and the salary structure are still being decided, while coaching, conditioning and health benefits are planned. RG.org notes that team details, rules and schedules have not been released.
Photo: Eduardo Avila Carbajal / Pexels
