Wednesday afternoons and Sundays. That’s when the China women’s flag football national team takes time off from a grueling schedule that has been in place for several months in preparation for this summer’s IFAF World Flag 2026. This is one focused football team.
“It is definitely a grind, but it’s my happy place, coaching football,” says head coach Patrick Alley. “It doesn’t beat you down. For me personally, if I’m on a football field, I’m okay. I’m not digging ditches or crawling in an attic to do every day really difficult construction work or anything. I’m out here coaching football, so it’s great.
“We’re full go and it’s either speed and agility, a gym session, or field training pretty much every day. And then we have a film session usually about three days a week. They have a different approach to it here.”
Alley has been at the helm of both China’s women’s and men’s programs since being drafted in as a consultant for the nation’s international debut on home turf in Chengdu at The World Games. His resume boasts gold medals from the 2022 World Games, the 2023 IFAF Americas and the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships as a member the United States men’s staff. Once at the helm with China, Alley enjoyed immediate success as he led the women to both the Asia and combined Asia-Oceania continental titles in 2025 and ultimately qualification for this summer’s games in Düsseldorf.
Alley and his charges are already experiencing life on the road in China as they move around the nation seeking favorable weather in which to train. Baisha in Yunnan province, Qinhuangdao and Shenzhen have been just some of their temporary bases. They have visited Florida, Delaware and Texas in the United States to test their skills in tournaments and will visit Europe and host top national teams Canada and Japan for friendly matches before August.
“We kind of live out of a suitcase,” he says. “But we have rooms that are usually really nice, and we have Olympic quality training facilities. I’m pretty excited about our future. I think we will do exceptionally well in Germany, and we’ll just see what happens.”
Teenage quarterback Niu Xin Yiu, who won the IFAF Americas MVP award as she threw five touchdowns in the final win over Australia, is in contention to lead the offense alongside receiver Lin Wen Ze who emerged as one of the stars of The World Games. China’s program has grown considerably with support from the government and the Chinese Rugby Football Association being more than just financial. Alley receives athletes considered potential members of the squad from sports including track and field, basketball, wrestling and handball. They undertake a crash course, which includes overcoming a language barrier and some are already pushing for a place on the roster for Düsseldorf.
“It definitely was a challenge at the beginning because they don’t really play football here,” explains Alley. “They don’t have tackle or professional leagues, but people are very coachable here. I was trying to teach at a fast pace and so far, it's taken off pretty well.
“I can speak football. I can speak down and distance. I can call my plays. I can understand a little bit (of Chinese). It’s too tough for me to try and learn the language in such a short time period, but I do plan on trying to focus on it next year, especially if we qualify for LA28.”
China did not hold tryouts in the traditional format that most nations follow. There are currently 21 players on the women’s roster and 18 on the men’s with athletes introduced to the program based on their athletic ability to see if they can displace an incumbent.
“They just bring athletes every time they qualify based on things such as if they run a fast enough 40 and see if they are good enough and to see if they can catch the ball and do whatever drills we have. If they can then we start training them and figure out what we want to do with the roster as far as expanding it or keeping it small.”
Alley might be in his element being immersed in flag football on a daily basis, but his work-life balance is challenged by the 7,000 miles distance between him and his home in Plano, Texas. His twin daughters are sophomores in college and his wife has been able to visit when the traveling China bandwagon stopped in Shanghai.
“Yeah, it's tough,” he admits. “But I have gone home, every so often just to spend a week at home. I’m at a lucky stage of my life where I can do this because if it was three years ago, four years ago when they were at home, it probably would have been a whole lot tougher. I had a conversation with my wife and family, and we decided it was best for us.”
The personal sacrifices and the commitment to training six days a week will all be worth it if this summer’s IFAF World Flag 2026 results in a medal and qualification for LA28. Currently ranked number 18th in the world, China will face European champion Great Britain, 2024 silver medalist from the world championships Austria, and France.
“I actually I think our group top to bottom is probably the toughest overall,” says Alley. “Even though it doesn't have USA or Mexico at the top of it, it still has such experience and we don’t face anybody that I would just consider a win. Now, we’re going to have to beat everybody and they’re all really good.”
The world will discover in Düsseldorf if China’s intense approach has enabled them to compete the rest of the world for the sport’s ultimate prizes.
Photo: The World Games/Xinhua/Wei Xiang
