Great Britain's flag football preparations for the 2028 Olympics are going well after their women's team retained their European title, but they and the NFL are already looking towards Brisbane 2032.
Pierre Ducrey had been curious about the NFL before getting the chance to attend his first game in 2020.
It was the Super Bowl in Miami, when Patrick Mahomes claimed his first NFL title with the Kansas City Chiefs.
And Ducrey, who became sports director of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in July, was lucky enough to be seated next to one of the major networks' NFL commentators.
"He was off duty that day and literally talked me through the game - the tactics, the subtleties, what it takes to progress, the strategies," Ducrey told BBC Sport.
"I love strategy in general, so I've become an actual fan of the sport. I watch every game I can."
In having a casual interest in American football, Ducrey was typical of many sports fans and athletes around the world. Now the IOC hopes it too gets to truly discover the sport over the next three years.
That is because flag football will make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles in 2028 - and Great Britain could be one of the medal contenders.
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Why will flag football be in the Olympics?
As the non-contact version of American football, flag is the most inclusive and accessible form of the sport, and is now played by more than 20 million people, across more than 100 countries.
Interest has grown dramatically since it became one of five sports added to the Olympic programme for LA28, something Ducrey has witnessed at first hand during flag football clinics as part of the Games' PlayLA youth programme.
"It was obvious that young people are very keen to play, as well as men and women," he said. "Every time we include a new sport - especially when it's something that is very strong in the culture of the [host] country - we are very excited.
"Flag football has all the things we look for in a new sport. It's fast and innovative, and brings a different dimension to the Games. It's also easy to deliver within a multi-sport event."
That was demonstrated during the World Games in 2022 and 2025, when Mexico upset the USA in each of the women's finals, while Great Britain finished fifth on their World Games debut in August.
Some 79 nations are now members of the International Federation of American Football (Ifaf), showing the sport's global appeal.
"We track that closely and it's a very interesting trend," Ducrey added. "There's visibly been a big development, so we're excited to see how it impacts the LA Games.
"People might think only Americans play the game, but it's probably more universal than they imagine."
How financial boost has helped sustain GB success
After finishing seventh at last year's World Championships, then fifth at this year's World Games, GB women retained their European title in Paris last month.
Last December, the British American Football Association (Bafa) also received funding from UK Sport for the first time, with £500,000 being put towards the development of an Olympic performance programme.
That, along with investment from a private benefactor, has allowed Bafa to provide GB players with better support services than ever before and, for the first time, to cover most of their expenses for travelling to this year's events in China and France.
After receiving another £500,000 from Sport England, Bafa has launched a new strategy to develop the UK game's governance, infrastructure and participation pyramid, which now includes more than 10,000 players and 150 clubs.
And since the women's team became back-to-back European champions, more potential sponsors have expressed their interest.
"It's similar to rugby - look what the success of England's women has done for them," said Chad Ehlertsen, who became Bafa's chief executive last year.
"I've tried to change the mindset across the group, to make it less focused on winning and more about developing the right culture and values. But if we're getting short-term success it only helps us ensure that flag will be here for the long term and that GB will perform at a high standard."
There was not a men's event at this year's World Games but, after finishing 10th at last year's World Championships, GB's men finished fourth at the Europeans, meaning both GB teams qualified for next year's World Championships in Germany.
"That could be an early qualification route for the Olympics," Ehlertsen said. "We hope to be in the mix, so it's a big year coming."
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Why NFL is already looking to Brisbane 2032
The IOC has confirmed the full sports programme for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics - including any additional sports proposed by the organising committee - will be finalised as a single package in 2026.
That bodes well for flag football as Australia is one of the regions where the sport has enjoyed rapid growth, thanks largely to the NFL. The league has its own international flag network which includes Australia, and Melbourne will host the nation's first NFL game in 2026.
Since the LA vote, many Australians from other ball-handling sports have expressed an interest in switching to flag, and the early decision for Brisbane means potential crossover athletes would know long before flag's Olympic debut whether the sport is guaranteed another Games.
Henry Hodgson, general manager of NFL UK & Ireland, told the BBC that the league's "intent is for flag to be in the Olympics in 2032 and beyond".
Ehlertsen added: "The [2028] Olympics is the start for us, not the end.
"There's a professional league coming and Brisbane's in discussion, we're trying to build something for the future."
An independent professional flag league had already been proposed, but last week NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said America's biggest sports league wants to launch professional men's and women's flag competitions before LA28.
NFL players have also been given permission to compete in LA, meaning American football could have its own Dream Team. That is sure to lure more curious fans to the sport, just like Pierre Ducrey's crash course in 2020.
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Category: General Sports
