‘The Taylor effect is helping us massively’: UK’s flag footballers aim for Olympic glory

Rise in status of non-contact version of US gridiron game sparks hunt for talent in Britain's schools and parks

Molly Winter threw a perfect spiral pass for a 30-yard touchdown for Great Britain under-15s against France at an empty Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Monday. In 2028 the west London schoolgirl could be doing the same in a packed arena beneath the lights at the Los Angeles Olympics.

The rise to Olympic status of flag football, a non-contact version of the US gridiron game, has sparked a hunt for talent in schools and parks. The game's roughly 80,000 British participants suddenly have a plausible shot at Olympic glory.