By Michael Preston
If anyone is qualified to consider the changes in flag football in Europe during the past few decades and has witnessed firsthand the growth in the sport, it is veteran France quarterback Elisa de Santis.
She leads her team into the IFAF European Flag Football Championships twenty-four years after first playing the sport and having represented her country first at the under 15s junior level before progressing to the senior squad.
“When I was playing flag football, I was the only girl playing with boys, and the goal was for us to get into a tackle team when we were about 15 years old and that was what I wanted at the time,” she explains. “But now, I see things differently. Flag football is now a real sport and is not something you play before tackle football. It is not for development.”
Elisa has seen the standard of the sport and the quality of athletes attracted to the non-contact version of football increase considerably.
“Before, you didn’t always find great athletes in flag football and but now you see all top athletes who can do incredible things and that is great for the potential of the sport.
“I have played other sports, but I think for me flag football is as great as basketball or volleyball or any other sport because you have to be fast and have great agility, but you have to think because there is a lot of strategy. I think that is more important than in many other sports. Flag football for me is enough and I do not need to play anything else.”
In Limerick, France begin their campaign to win a medal with a challenging opener against Great Britain, who won silver at the European Championships four years ago in Group B which features seven teams. Playing three games on the opening day, they then face Czechia and Italy.
Games will be streamed live on the Olympic Channel and on IFAF.TV throughout the tournament being played from August 18-20 and IFAF Game Centre will be live from Friday featuring score updates.
“I think we can build something good with our team and I believe we have great potential, but you don’t know until you play against other nations,” says Elisa, whose tournament successes include winning titles, MVP awards and all-star honors. “We are trying to build something, so this is the beginning of something new for us and we can’t wait to be there in Ireland.”
For her personal preparation, Elisa has been training with former Canadian Football League legend Eddie Brown while working in a gym in Canada for the past four months. She returned to France to join her teammates at a pre-tournament camp.
“We have lost some players, who are either pregnant or injured and we have a new coaching staff and some new players,” she added. “I’m excited for us to work together and see how competitive we can be.”
Being a longtime mainstay of flag football not only in France but around the world, having played in numerous countries during the past quarter of a century, Elisa’s achievements were recognized and her expertise and advice utilized when she was named as an NFL and IFAF Global Flag Football Ambassador. She was announced alongside NFL legends and Pro Bowlers LeCharles Bentley, Tony Richardson, Bobby Taylor and the incomparable record-setting former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
“When they asked me, I was really proud and excited,” said Elisa. “I think it’s a reward for all my career. I started playing when I was ten, and then with the national team, I created a team and I’ve played in many countries. I’m really passionate about the game and have always put a lot into the game, so I feel like it is for all that I’ve done for the sport. They’re giving back to me.
“I felt happy for flag football because Drew Brees is a legend and him trying to bring flag football to the next level is great for the sport. Obviously, it was a great honor to be in the same photos as Drew. That was crazy and I was so honored and blessed. I think it’s great for our game of flag football.”
