Flag Football given prominent platform across three days of international NFL Draft activities as part of joint efforts to drive development of the fast-growing format 

International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Athletes’ Committee Chair Diana Flores was one of a number of Global Flag Football Ambassadors to play a prominent role in activities to mark the 2023 National Football League (NFL) Draft in Kansas City, USA and around the world this week. The NFL Draft, which took place from 27-29 April, drawing a domestic audience of over 54 million viewers in the U.S. and millions more globally, is one of the biggest events on the NFL calendar. This year’s programme gave a significant platform to flag football and comes as IFAF and the NFL continue joint efforts to drive forward the development of the discipline globally. Diana Flores, captain of the Mexico women’s national flag football team that won gold at The World Games 2022, and star of the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime ad “Run with It”, joined the Denver Broncos in her native Mexico City to announce a live pick for the team on day three of the 2023 Draft. Flores and the Broncos also collaborated with Tecnológico de Monterrey, where Flores attends as a postgraduate student, to host a youth flag clinic as part of efforts to further expand the discipline in Mexico, where flag’s popularity continues to soar. A number of other NFL teams also integrated flag football into their 2023 Draft activities around the world, with international engagement a key theme across the three days. The Chicago Bears and the New York Jets broadcast their remote picks from the UK and featured players from the newly formed UK Girls Flag League, while the Jacksonville Jaguars, also in the UK, held a flag community event in London. The Pittsburgh Steelers were in Mexico where a number of current players participated in a flag tournament, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers held their remote pick from Germany with the help of a local youth flag football team that represented the Bucs at the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl Games. The main focus of activities was in Kansas City, the official host city of the 2023 NFL Draft, where Flores and fellow Global Flag Football Ambassador, Team Italy captain and member of the IFAF Entourage Committee, Nausicaa Dell’Orto, took part in festivities on the opening day of the Draft. Dell’Orto was also invited by the NFL to co-host the main stage show on day two in front of over 125 thousand fans who were there to watch the Draft live. Community activities featuring flag football played a key role throughout the week. The Kansas City Chiefs hosted a two-day NFL Flag regional tournament for 8-17 year olds. The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) hosted a college flag championship game. Women’s flag football scholarship recipients were honored and over 150 female high school students joined in a skills clinic with the Kansas City Chiefs. In addition, IFAF member association, USA Football, was on hand to run youth coaching and coaching certification clinics to aid the rapidly growing development of the game. Also in Kansas City, Nausicaa Dell’Orto, guest starred as a pundit during a halftime interview segment for the livestream of an epic flag football showdown which took place between two of the most popular content creator teams in the world. Atlanta-based collective AMP and Texas-based creator collective RDCWorld - who have a combined following of over 50 million - took to the field with NFL Legends Michael Vick and Robert Griffin III as part of a series of creator flag football games, which started at Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles and aligns with the NFL’s wider strategy to authentically connect with younger fans. The game in Kansas City currently has over one million views across all channels. Diana Flores also featured in the NFL Network’s 19th annual ‘Run Rich Run’ programming with NFL Network host Rich Eisen in support of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which was broadcast internationally in Mexico. IFAF President, Pierre Trochet, said:   “We are excited and pleased to see flag football and our Global Flag Football Ambassadors given such a prominent platform at the 2023 NFL Draft - one of the most highly anticipated and most watched events on the NFL sporting calendar. Under our Vision28 strategy we are committed to driving forward the global development of flag football. The determination of the NFL and its teams to showcase flag football across yet another of its flagship events is a further clear indication of the strength of our partnership and shared vision to grow the format worldwide.” As the faster, non-contact, accessible and inclusive format of American football, flag football is the cornerstone of IFAF’s partnership with the NFL, which seeks to further accelerate global development, including through inclusion at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. The integration of flag football activities and ambassadors at the 2023 Draft follows the NFL’s promotion of flag football at the 2023 Super Bowl with its viral halftime ad “Run with It” as well as the transformation of the 2023 Pro Bowl Games into a flag football showcase earlier this year.