The NFL has announced a partnership with TMRW Sports to develop and operate a professional flag football league for women and men. A launch timeline is expected to align with flag football’s Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“As the flag football movement continues its explosive global growth, a professional flag league completes the pathway for elite athletes to compete at every level of the game, from youth to high school and college, to the Olympic stage, and now professionally,” said Troy Vincent Sr., NFL executive vice President of football operations. “This is especially meaningful for girls and young women who are helping drive the sport’s growth worldwide and who can now see their dreams in this game extend all the way to the professional level.
“Selecting TMRW Sports represents an important step in our long-term commitment to growing flag football and supporting the world-class athletes driving its momentum.”
The new league will be supported by “a broad and influential investor pool” that will include NFL clubs, current players and Pro Football Hall of Famers that includes Joe Montana, Steve Young, Peyton Manning and Larry Fitzgerald, and other NFL legends that includes Tom Brady and Eli Manning.
“Flag football represents so much of what makes this game special, showcasing the skill, creativity, and competitiveness that define this sport,” said Brady, who recently took part in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. “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. I’m excited to help take this sport to even greater heights through the launch of a professional flag football league.”
The NFL’s decision to invest in flag football comes at a time of immense growth for the sport. With 20 million players worldwide, flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. In the United States alone, approximately 4.1 million youth play flag football, which is more than a 50% increase since 2020. Flag football is currently offered at the high school level in 39 states.
Specifically, flag football has seen a rapid growth in terms of women participants. The number of young women playing on their high school teams increasing by nearly 60% from 2024 to 2025. More than 100 colleges and universities across the United States currently offer women’s flag football. The University of Nebraska recently became the first Power Four Division I program to launch a varsity women’s flag football team.
“The momentum behind women’s sports has never been stronger, and flag football is poised to play a major role in that continued growth,” said tennis legend Billie Jean King, who is among the group of women’s sports champions investors that also includes Ilana Kloss, Alex Morgan and Serena Williams. “This new professional league will build on that progress by giving elite women athletes the stage they deserve to showcase their skills and shape the sport’s global trajectory.”
TMRW Sports was selected following “a competitive evaluation process that generated strong interest from multiple potential operators.” The search concluded with NFL clubs authorizing 32 Equity — the member clubs’ investment vehicle — to approve an investment of up to $32 million to support the launch and operation of a professional flag football league.
TMRW Sports’ first successful venture was the development of TGL presented by SoFi, a primetime team golf league in partnership with the PGA TOUR.
