By James Brizuela is a contributing sports activities author situated in Los Angeles. His focus is on the NFL and MMA. He has in-depth information of the NFL as an entire, having been a fan for over 30 years, and protecting the game during the last six years. James joined Newsweek in March 2024, having beforehand written NFL content material for Sports activities Illustrated. He’s a graduate of the College of California, Riverside. You will get in contact with James by emailing, j.brizuela@newsweek.com. Yow will discover him at X @james_brizuela.
James Brizuela
Contributing Sports activities Author
It’s no secret that the game of flag soccer is gaining loads of reputation on the earth. The NFL selected to vary up the format of the Professional Bowl, together with a seven-on-seven flag soccer match between the NFC and AFC, which has been effectively obtained.
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The game itself has grown to the purpose the place it is going to now be included within the Olympics in 2028. Although there was drama on the spot concerning the skilled athletes who play within the sport and NFL gamers desirous to play within the Olympics, the game itself continues to realize traction.
Through the Professional Bowl Video games 2025, the NFL and NFL Flag held the first-ever HBCU flag soccer match on the occasion. A number of groups from throughout the nation offered 250 athletes to play within the match.

RCX Sports activities
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The match was held in partnership with the NFL, NFL Flag, and Toyota. Dedra DeLilli, Vice President, Advertising and marketing Communications at Toyota had this to say concerning the match:
“Toyota’s partnerships with the NFL and NFL FLAG are rooted in advancing soccer for all and uplifting the subsequent era of superstars. Toyota has been a long-standing supporter of HBCUs, and The NFL FLAG HBCU Event Introduced by Toyota is an extension of that help.”
“Our purpose with the match is to shine a light-weight on the important position HBCUs have performed within the explosive development of flag soccer and to offer the chance for these phenomenal athletes to showcase their expertise and join with a broader viewers by way of this first-of-its-kind platform. The NFL FLAG HBCU Event Introduced by Toyota not solely highlights the legacies of those athletes and their colleges, but it surely additionally creates a platform for future athletes to shine and share their tales on a nationwide stage.”
Newsweek Sports activities additionally caught up with Izell Reese, CEO of RCX Sports activities, Govt Director of NFL FLAG, and a seven-year NFL veteran. Reese said:
“HBCUs are enjoying an important position in elevating flag soccer to the subsequent stage. The enlargement of flag soccer inside HBCUs is a testomony to the game’s speedy development and its potential to form collegiate athletics. Because of initiatives led by RCX Sports activities and the NFL and collaborations with conferences just like the CIAA, flag soccer has seen spectacular development throughout HBCUs. By fostering aggressive packages and rising participation, HBCUs are serving to to construct a robust case for NCAA sanctioning.”
“Outdoors of HBCUs, flag soccer’s inclusion within the LA 2028 Olympic Video games program, led by efforts of the Worldwide Federation of American Soccer (IFAF) and supported by the NFL and RCX, additional underscores the game’s speedy development total. Flag soccer is the world’s fastest-growing sport, performed by over 20 million individuals in additional than 100 international locations, throughout six continents. It’s the most inclusive and accessible format of soccer, performed by individuals of all ages and genders, with feminine athletes driving among the quickest development.”
With the speedy development of the flag soccer sport being concerned within the Professional Bowl Video games and the Olympics, anticipate to see even sooner development within the area for the foreseeable future.
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