IFAF America
Team Mexico NFL Film
24 November 2022
The NFL has released a first-of-its-kind documentary feature showcasing International Federation of American Football athletes as part of joint efforts to raise the profile of flag football around the world.
The original short film - Journey to Gold - tells the story of Mexico’s giant-killing women’s flag football team, who defeated USA in the final of The World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama earlier this year, led by quarterback and IFAF Athletes’ Committee Chair Diana Flores.
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Shot on location in Mexico City over two days by the NFL in collaboration with all-woman production company Lookalike Productions, the film aims to amplify the voices of football’s female stars and features several of the team’s leading players including Diana Flores, and teammates Rebeca Landa, Silvia Contreres and Ana Rojano. It shares the players’ inspirational stories, their passion for the sport, the impact of bringing home the gold and the national recognition that came with it.
An English language version of the film premiered this week to coincide with the NFL International Game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. It initially aired across all NFL social and digital platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, NFL.com and the NFL app with a combined audience reach of 100 million. A longer Spanish language version, which goes into post-production next week, will be released later in the year. The film follows the success of the NFL’s The World Games 2022 flag football coverage, which achieved over one million views across NFL social and digital platforms.
The NFL is partnering with IFAF to help drive flag football growth globally, with NFL channels promoting flag football – especially as a pathway for women and girls – to raise the profile of the sport.
The league’s owned media network is among the largest in world sport. It includes the flagship NFL Network, with studio complexes in both New York and Los Angeles, NFL Films and a separate content marketing division that powers the fastest-growing social channels of any professional sports league. They sit at the heart of an NFL social media ecosystem with a reach of more than one billion followers around the world.
“Team Mexico’s story and the personalities of these athletes has captured the hearts and imaginations of NFL fans worldwide and we’re seeing a real appetite for flag football content across our many channels,” said Ronit Larone, NFL Vice President, Content Marketing & Integration. “We recognize the role the NFL can play in providing a platform for these incredible athletes and helping further drive the extraordinary growth of flag football.”
“It was an incredible honor to share my story and those of my teammates as part of this film and I am grateful to the NFL for helping to amplify our voices,” said Diana Flores, gold medal winning quarterback from Mexico. “The journey we have been on as a team from winning The World Games to standing in the middle of our National Stadium in Mexico City on Monday night with close to 80,000 fans cheering for us has been nothing short of amazing. It is one of the most special experiences of my life and we’re just getting started. I hope that our journey inspires others to take up the sport that I love.”
“Once again it is fantastic to see the NFL using its incredibly powerful platform to highlight the sport of flag football and showcase our amazing athletes with the world,” added President of the International Federation of American Football, Pierre Trochet. “We are delighted that IFAF and our member federation in Mexico, the Federación Méxicana de Fútbol Americano, were able to collaborate with the NFL on this exciting project. It’s a great example of how, working together, IFAF and the NFL can connect flag football to new audiences.”
The Mexico women’s flag team, alongside their male counterparts, who won bronze at The World Games, were also honored on the field during the NFL International Game between the 49ers and the Cardinals in Mexico City. Both teams were presented with a commemorative NFL Mexico mini-helmet and coin by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. The moment was captured as part of ESPN’s popular Monday Night Football show and beamed to an audience of millions.
In addition to the on-field moment at Estadio Azteca on Monday, Mexico’s flag athletes were invited to take part in a number of other events during the week leading up to the NFL International game. This included as guests of the US Ambassador to Mexico at a special reception at his residence on Sunday, and at a football clinic for children aged 10-14 with NFL Legend Rolando Cantú on Friday, where they led drills and shared their experiences to inspire the young players.
With three million flag football players already, Mexico represents one of the biggest international markets for the sport. The national teams’ achievements at The World Games are helping drive flag football’s popularity among a new generation, with 100 thousand new players in Mexico this year alone and more than half a million children currently participating in schools around the country.
