NFL and IFAF continue expansion of Global Flag Football Ambassadors team ahead of Germany and Mexico games

The Global Ambassadors Program is intended to expand the international advancement of flag football with the addition of Jakob Johnson, Equanimeous St. Brown and Sebastian Vollmer among current Superstar Ambassadors.

The National Football League (NFL) and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) today announced the fourth team of Global Flag Football Ambassadors to amplify and support the long-term growth of football around the world.

Jakob Johnson, Equanimeous St. Brown and Sebastian Vollmer are among the latest to join a team of all-star men and women, including current American football and flag football players, legends, coaches and officials, as ambassadors who will work together to further elevate the profile and promote the unique values ​​of one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

The Flag Football Ambassadors team – first announced ahead of the NFL’s Kick-Off Weekend earlier this year – supports the combined global efforts of the NFL and IFAF to increase awareness, interest and participation in flag football internationally and further the development of the game.

Last month, the NFL announced the transformation of the Pro Bowl, renaming the tentpole event the Pro Bowl Games. Taking place in Las Vegas in 2023, the week-long celebration of player skills will feature an exciting new format that shines a spotlight on flag football. In addition to the AFC vs. NFC game on Sunday, the Pro Bowl Games will incorporate the flag throughout the week, including the Play Football Opening Night and NFL FLAG Championships, which were created in partnership with RCX Sports and will feature featured the best girls and boys. youth flag teams from across the country and around the world.

Currently played by men, women, boys and girls of all ages in over 100 countries around the world, flag football is poised for even greater expansion as a cornerstone of national strategies and international participation and development of the NFL. Momentum is building behind the sport following its debut at the World Games in Birmingham, Alabama earlier this year as the IFAF prepares to kick off the largest cycle of international elite flag competition, including continental representation complete for the first time in 2023. Flag is a fast, non-contact, creative and highly qualified format that benefits from being easily accessible and inclusive, making it the ideal vehicle to attract new players, accelerate growth and promote the message of football for all.

The new members of the Global Flag Football Ambassador team are:

Nausicaa Dell’Orto – Captain of the Italian women’s national flag football team.
Jakob Johnson – Las Vegas Raiders guard, born in Stuttgart, Germany.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – Cleveland Browns linebacker, of Ghanaian descent through his father.
Mona Stevens – Quarterback for the German women’s national flag football team.
Equanimeous St. Brown – Chicago Bears wide receiver who, like his brother Amon-Ra, is a German national who is fluent in German and French, thanks to his German-born mother.
Sebastian Vollmer – NFL legend, former New England Patriots tackle, born in Kaarst, Germany.

The global appeal of these international athletes highlights the group’s reach and ambition to grow the game around the world, but also highlights the impact international players have on the NFL itself. For example, Los Angeles Rams defensive back Taylor Rapp was born in the United States to his mother, who was from Shanghai, China, and his father, who was born in Canada. Liz Sowers is currently the head coach of the women’s flag football program at the University of Ottawa in Canada.

Among the previously announced ambassadors with international ties:

Osi Umenyiora, the first British-born player to win a Super Bowl, was born in London to Nigerian parents and is now working to raise the game’s profile in Europe and Africa.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is a German national who is fluent in German and French, thanks to his German-born mother.

Desiree Abrams, who has made a name for herself on the international stage, notably as a member of the team of referees responsible for overseeing flag football at the World Games, as well as the Flag Football World Championships in IFAF in 2018 and 2021, and the IFAF Women’s World Championship in 2022. In 2016, she founded the National Women’s Football Officials Association which seeks to accelerate opportunities for women referees in football.

Diana Flores is the starting quarterback for the Mexico women’s team and won gold at the 2022 World Games beating the United States. She has been a member of the Mexico national team since 2014, when she was 16 years old.

Liz Sowers is the head coach of the uOttawa women’s flag football team, where she won the NAIA championships in her freshman year in 2021.
Andrea Castillo won the bronze medal at the 2022 World Games for the Panama women’s flag football team.

Luke Zahradka is the quarterback for the Italian national flag football team.

Nausicaa Dell’Orto, captain of the Italian women’s flag football team and IFAF athlete representative:

“As someone who had to fight for my right to play football when I was a teenage cheerleader, it’s been amazing to be part of this movement, helping to fuel the incredible growth of flag football among women and girls around the world. I’m passionate about the flag as a way to empower and build confidence in young women. It’s a sport that gives everyone a chance, where differences can become superpowers. The flag football gave me my voice and today I’m proud to use it as part of this all-star team, helping to spread our message of inclusion globally.

LA Raiders guard Jakob Johnson:

“I am extremely excited and grateful to serve as a global flag football ambassador. I am very proud to be among the Germans who have had the chance to play in the NFL, and I look forward to helping football grow. expand internationally. This program will create opportunities for children in Germany and beyond to learn and enjoy our great game.”

Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah:

“It is a huge honor for me to be named one of the world’s flag football ambassadors. A lot of energy, time and resources have gone into expanding the sport we love, football. But more importantly, the focus has been on teaching the principles of life, through the lens of football. Once these principles – discipline, responsibility, leadership and sacrifice – are understood, football will be used as a global avenue to develop the minds of young people around the world.

Bears wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown:

“I am honored to be named a Global Flag Football Ambassador. The time comes with my extreme excitement for there to be an NFL game in Germany. There is such a supportive fan base in this country, and it will create a great playing environment. It will be great for those fans to see an NFL game in person for the first time.”

Mona Stevens, quarterback of the German women’s national flag football team:

“I am thrilled to be named a Global Flag Football Ambassador alongside some of the greatest NFL and American football players in the world. Flag football in Germany is thriving and I look forward to showcasing it. this weekend with my teammates in front of an audience of millions at the NFL regular season game between the Buccaneers and the Seahawks in Munich It’s such an exciting platform for flag football and will undoubtedly have a massive impact on the sport helping to further increase its visibility in Germany and across Europe.This is just the beginning and I know the sport will only continue to grow.

NFL legend Sebastian Vollmer:

“Flag football is a great way to introduce young people to the sport for the first time. It’s so good to see kids across Germany playing flag football ahead of the first ever NFL game in this country, and especially for some of them to get the chance to play against their peers from world at the Pro Bowl Games in Las Vegas next year.”