During the buildup to the 2025 IFAF Asia-Oceania Flag Football Championships, IFAF has posed three questions to the head coaches of the men’s and women’s teams about to compete for continental glory.
Jordan women’s coach Marichelle Martinez began her journey in the sport in Panama around 2003-2004, back when flag football was just emerging at the college level. Watching the sport develop and flourish in her home country over the years has filled her with immense pride.
She retired as a player in 2012 and transitioned immediately into coaching in 2013, starting with youth and high school teams in the American Youth Football Panama (AYFPanama League), focusing on foundational skills and discipline. Through these teams, she gained valuable international experience participating in several international tournaments in the USA, Mexico, and Spain.
Since moving to Jordan with her family, Marichelle has been dedicated to helping grow the sport here and helping the Jordan American Football Federation (JAFF) to establish and develop flag football within the country. Now, a few years later, Jordan enters its first official national teams into IFAF competition. Her role is the culmination of years of dedication, and she is excited to lead Jordan in Ningbo. What are the goals for your team in this tournament? Our primary and most ambitious goal is to qualify for next year’s IFAF World Championships. We understand this is a significant challenge, especially as this is our first official international tournament. We want to be the surprise of the tournament. We are here to compete, make a statement about the potential of flag football in Jordan, and lay a rock-solid foundation for future success. What will be the strengths of your team, and which players should we watch for? Our greatest strength is our unwavering team spirit and the unity with which we play. We fundamentally believe that teamwork is more important than any individual talent. Every player on this roster fulfills a vital role, and our success is a direct result of our collective effort, not a single star. Therefore, the player to watch is not one individual, but the Jordanian National Team as a unit. You will see a group that runs hard, communicates constantly, and supports each other on every play. What do you think of the group you have been drawn into? We believe it’s an excellent challenge for our debut. We are honored to share a group with established international teams like South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, and India. Every single game against these experienced teams is an invaluable opportunity for us. We respect the quality and experience of every opponent, but we are not intimidated. Our focus is on ourselves and our preparation. We will meticulously scout each opponent and execute game-specific plans. This group ensures that we will have to play our best flag football from the very first whistle, and that is exactly the pressure we need to rise to the occasion and prove that Jordan deserves to be a contender in the Asia-Oceania region.
