The NFL and TMRW Sports have unveiled Premier Flag, a new professional flag football league for women and men that plans to kick off in summer 2027, ahead of flag football’s Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The announcement, made on Monday, November 2, gives the fast-growing, non-tackle version of football its first full professional league. A host city has not been named yet, and the league says that decision will come in the coming weeks. What is already clear is the shape of the plan: a men’s and women’s league, backed by all 32 NFL club owners, with a purpose-built stadium, a showcase during Super Bowl week, and a global talent search already under way.
What we know
League name: Premier Flag, the brand identity for a new professional flag football league for women and men.
Launch: Summer 2027, from a U.S. host city still to be announced.
Organizers: The NFL and TMRW Sports, which will run the league’s operations.
Backers: An investor group that includes all 32 NFL club owners, plus institutional and strategic investors, current and former NFL players, and women athletes.
Olympic link: Flag football makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
First showcase: A Premier Flag Showcase during Super Bowl LXI week in Los Angeles.
What is still unknown: The host city, the number of teams, the salary structure, and media rights details.
What we don’t know yet
The league has not announced where it will play, how many teams it will have, or what players will earn. The salary structure is still being worked out, and the host-city search is ongoing. Those are the biggest open questions, and the league says more announcements will follow on its new website and social channels.
What was announced
Premier Flag is the brand name for a professional league that will feature the world’s best flag football players, women and men, in a fast-paced, elite competition. The NFL and TMRW Sports presented it as a new career destination for players who, until now, have mostly balanced the sport with day jobs. The goal, in the league’s words, is to make flag football a full-time job for its top athletes, with professional training, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and coaching support.
The announcement also launched the league’s public presence: a website, PremierFlagFootball.com, and social accounts under the Premier Flag name, where fans can sign up for updates on schedules, tickets, and merchandise.
Brian Flinn, the NFL’s senior vice president for global flag football, said: “We’re building a global platform to showcase the world’s top flag football players and to engage fans in a premium experience.” He added: “The launch of Premier Flag creates a new professional opportunity for the world’s best players.”
Who is behind it
TMRW Sports, pronounced “tomorrow sports,” is the operating partner. The company was founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and sports executive Mike McCarley, and is best known for TGL, its high-tech team golf league. For Premier Flag, TMRW Sports is working with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport and the federation responsible for flag football at the Olympic Games.
The league’s stadium will be designed by Populous, which the league describes as the first purpose-built stadium for flag football. A firm called Transwestern is leading the search for the host city and league hub.
Four well-known players have signed on as Premier Flag ambassadors, advising the league on the player experience, from training camps and facilities to uniforms and rules. They are Ashlea Klam and Isabella “Izzy” Geraci of the U.S. women’s national team, Vanita Krouch, a former captain and quarterback of the U.S. women’s team, and Darrell “Housh” Doucette III, quarterback of the U.S. men’s team. Doucette has won three world championship gold medals with Team USA and was the most valuable player of the 2026 world championship final.
Why flag football, and why now
Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, and the numbers in the announcement show why the NFL is investing in it. More than 20 million people play flag football around the world, according to the league. In the United States, about 4.1 million young people play, an increase of more than 50 percent since 2020.
The growth is visible at every level. High school flag football is now offered in 40 states, with 25 states sanctioning it at the varsity level. Participation among young women on high school teams rose nearly 60 percent from 2024 to 2025. More than 250 colleges and universities now field women’s flag football programs, and the NCAA has approved the sport for its Emerging Sports for Women program, with a national college championship recommended as early as spring 2028.
The Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028 is the other big driver. At the 2026 world championships, the first Olympic places were already decided: the United States and Canada qualified teams in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, Italy qualified a men’s team, and Mexico qualified a women’s team. Premier Flag is designed to sit just below that Olympic stage, giving elite players a professional home in the summer before the Games.
The road to launch
The league is not starting from zero. The NFL and TMRW Sports held their first Premier Flag London Combine at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 6, bringing together elite women and men from ten countries across Europe, Australia, and the United States. The top performers will move on to a Premier Flag Combine in 2027, with more talent events planned in U.S. and international cities, including Mexico City on November 22-23.
The first big public moment will come during Super Bowl LXI week in Los Angeles, when the league stages its inaugural Premier Flag Showcase. The showcase will be presented live from a custom-built venue and is planned as an annual event, mixing top-level competition with storytelling about the sport’s speed and strategy. Pro Bowl players, Hall of Famers, and NFL legends are expected to take part as advocates for the sport.
What this means for fans
For fans, Premier Flag offers something new to follow in the summer months: a professional league built around a version of football that is fast, high-scoring, and easy for newcomers to understand, with no tackling and no heavy protective gear. For players, it offers something even bigger: the chance to make a living from a sport that has, until now, offered little paid opportunity at the top level.
There is still plenty the league has not said. Team names, the full schedule, ticket prices, and where to watch are all still to come. But the core news is settled: the NFL is going all in on professional flag football, the league has a name, a launch summer, and the backing of every NFL owner. The next announcements, starting with the host city, will show how big this new league plans to be.
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Sources
NFL announcement: NFL and TMRW Sports unveil Premier Flag, new professional flag football league launching summer 2027
Reuters: Flag football – NFL-backed Premier Flag league to launch in summer 2027
