‘It’s gone berserk’: flag football rapidly catching on in UK

Surge in schools playing non-contact version of American football and player numbers could hit 100k by 2026

Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, is rapidly catching on in the UK with a surge in the number of schools involved and participation numbers set to hit 100,000 by 2026.

Fuelled by an energetic campaign by the New York-based NFL to encourage young people in Britain to try the less violent alternative, teams with names such as the Northants Ducks, the South Coast Spitfires and the London Fruit Bats are experiencing rising demand.