…NFL Continues to Focus on Development of Flag Football Across Africa
The National Football League hosted a women’s flag football coach education clinic in Cairo, Egypt as part of an ongoing strategy to accelerate the development and growth of the game across Africa.
36 participants from Egypt, Nigeria and Morocco received both classroom and on-field learning, as the clinic looked to improve the skills of new and experienced coaches – helping to promote and enable further long-term flag football engagement and participation on the continent.
Expert coaches delivering the sessions included:
- Ameena Soliman – Philadelphia Eagles’ Director of Football Operations and Pro Scout
- Afia Law – NFL Flag international development lead
- Elisa De Santis – French national flag team captain and IFAF and NFL Global Flag Ambassador
- Kris Durham – Head of Development at the NFL Academy Europe-Africa
- Jordan Mabin – Football Development Manager at the NFL and former NFL player
Fast-paced and accessible for all, flag football is spearheading extraordinary participation growth worldwide with more than 20 million players in 100 countries and women and girls driving some of the largest growth in participation.
The women’s flag football coach education clinic in Cairo follows one held in Ghana in April 2025, which saw 50 coaches and officials from Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda attend the event as football development efforts continue to focus on engaging and upskilling more flag football coaches across the region.
The NFL also hosted a series of wraparound activities in Cairo including:
Led by two-time Super Bowl Champion and NFL Africa Lead Osi Umenyiora, the NFL hosted a football talent identification event with prospects from 5 different African countries, including Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Kenya and South Africa. Athletes showcased their skills and abilities with the potential to advance to the NFL Academy Europe-Africa program in Loughborough, U.K. or the International Player Pathway (IPP) program — two core pillars of the NFL’s global football development initiatives.
In collaboration with the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and the Egyptian Federation of American Football (EFAF), U13 teams of boys and girls from Africa competed in an NFL Flag Continental Championship. The tournament saw Egypt claim the title to become the first ever African youth continental champions.
Earlier in the week, 11 teams from eight nations, spanning the African continent, participated in Africa Flag – the first of IFAF’s continental championships series for 2025, with Nigeria crowned champions across both the men’s and women’s event. The tournament is the starting point for what will be the biggest and most important competition cycle in flag football history, culminating in the Olympic Games LA28.
