The National Football League has named a youth sports experiences business, Reigning Champs, as its operating partner of NFL Flag.
RC Experiences, a new division of Reigning Champs, will oversee NFL Flag leagues and tournaments beginning in January 2020 with an emphasis to support local leagues and participant growth, especially among girls.
Flag football has grown to particiaption levels of more than 3 million youth and adults. NFL Flag is an NFL-licensed property with more than 1,600 leagues and 500,000 athletes between the ages of 5 and 17 in all 50 states.
USA Football, which has operated and managed NFL Flag since 2011, will continue to provide best practices to advance coach and player development.
“One of our primary goals at the NFL is to continue to evolve and grow the game of football,” said Roman Oben, NFL vice president of youth and high school football strategy. “RC Experiences will play a vital role in providing the premier flag football experience, while growing NFL FLAG participation across the country. We want to thank USA Football for their work and our continued efforts to strengthen the game.”
RC Experiences is the latest addition to Reigning Champs’ portfolio of businesses for young athletes, families, coaches and administrators that have a combined reach exceeding 100 million student-athletes, parents and coaches.
“Reigning Champs has long been committed to the accessibility of sports for all athletes regardless of age, socioeconomic background, gender or race,” said Izell Reese, Reigning Champs Experiences president and general manager. “We look forward to evolving NFL Flag into an event property that brings that vision to life, while growing participation throughout the country.”