With flag football on the rise, sponsors are taking note

For football fans counting down the days until the start of the NFL season, there’s a chance this summer to see their favorite game in action—sort of.

In the midst of the FIFA Club World Cup final last weekend, MLB All-Star Week this week, and WNBA All-Star Weekend kicking off Friday, there’s set to be dozens of hours of coverage across Disney properties and NFL+ of the NFL’s Flag Football Championships, a youth flag-football tournament that brings together hundreds of teams—both regional and international—in Canton, Ohio, to compete in a four-day-long tournament.

Though this is only the second year of the championship tournament, the NFL has been investing in flag football for years, including promoting the sport through a Super Bowl ad and in a new campaign encouraging youth players to find a league that rolled out this week, which stars Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, and several youth flag-football stars.

The effort is designed to help grow the already massive football fandom by getting kids involved in the flag version of the sport from a young age, according to Ingrid Petri, VP, sponsorship strategy and new business development at the NFL. Flag football has been growing internationally, too, she said, and in 2028, it will be an official event at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics.

Between the NFL and the International Olympic Committee embracing the sport and its increased accessibility among girls and international audiences compared to tackle football, flag football is not only grabbing the attention of younger athletes around the world—it’s also attracting NFL sponsors and fans as well.

“People love football, whether it’s the NFL, it’s collegiate, it’s flag football,” Petri told Marketing Brew. In the US, “for the most part, it’s a passion point,” she said, and “the fans that we have and the enthusiasm that they have for the league is bar none.”

Green flag

For the second year of the tournament, the NFL has a few returning partners, including Gatorade, Oakley, Toyota, and Visa, as well as some rookie brands, like P&G and Jersey Mike’s, Petri said. There are also a handful of endemic sponsors involved, including Nike, which has worked with the NFL for more than a decade, and New Era, which has since 2012 been the league’s “on-field cap provider.”

Since the NFL oversees the tournament, all of its sponsors are also leaguewide partners, according to Petri. Though the sport is relatively new for most brands, the option to work with the NFL’s marketing team on activations has helped encourage some to get involved, Petri said. The opportunity to tie up with a sport early on can also serve as a selling point.

“It’s an open slate,” she said. “We’re only in the second year of [the championship], so when we look towards year three, how do we continue to innovate with our partners to help our fans on site or viewing through broadcast? How are they helping enhance that fan experience in only a way that that particular brand can do?”

In this tournament, that approach is evident across brand categories. P&G is stocking the locker rooms with products from brands like Gillette, Downy, Old Spice, and Tide. Nike is responsible for jerseys and other apparel. Visa is presenting the Coach of the Year award, which includes gift-card prizes.

Brands including Toyota, Visa, Oakley, and Gatorade all upped their marketing efforts in the Flag Football Championship this year, with more fan engagement, activations, and content around the tournament, Petri said. She expects that next year, even more new sponsors will get involved.

Growing up

The championship tournament is airing across Disney and NFL platforms, with games on championship Sunday set to air on ABC, Disney Channel, Disney XD, ESPN Deportes, Disney+, ESPN+, and NFL+. While the audience is unlikely to rival that of an NFL game, Petri said she expects it to be about as diverse demographically, with “Gen Z, Gen Alpha, millennials, parents, [and] families” tuning in.

Flag isn’t the only youth sport with increasing influence among fans and sponsors: Last year’s Little League Baseball World Series Championship Game was among the most-watched baseball games across levels and networks since the 2021 Field of Dreams game, according to ESPN at the time. Petri didn’t share exact viewership projections for this year’s flag championship, but said she expects the audience will be up compared to last year.

Though football is wildly popular in the US, the fandom isn’t quite the same in many other countries. The NFL, along with some individual teams, has been working to expand its international reach in recent years, and Petri said getting kids involved in flag football from a young age, regardless of gender or region, can help with that effort.

“When you learn how to play flag football, you really then learn football, and are probably more likely to become a fan because of it,” she said.