NAIROBI, Kenya, October 17 – The stage is set for a titanic battle as 10 teams congregate at the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani for once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feature at next February’s Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Florida.
The NFL Flag Championships in Nairobi — set for this month — will comprise teams of boys and girls aged 12 years and below, with the winners representing Kenya at the NFL FLAG International Division during the All-Star Games, which often feature the league’s star players.
Flag football is the non-contact version of American football and is considered a fun and safe way to introduce young talents to the sport.
The championships will be conducted in partnership with the Kenya Federation of American Football (KFAF) who have equally been on a countrywide campaign to popularise the sport and increase its uptake among the youth.
The tournament comes over six months after the American football governing body held a week long training camp at the same venue in which several African-born NFL players were in attendance to mentor the young ones.
Pupils from 10 schools across the city were trained on the basics of flag football while local primary school teachers as well as KFAF officials were coached on flag football to enhance expansion of the sport countrywide.
Moreover, 29 prospects aged 16-21, from African nations including Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and Senegal, took part in a three-day NFL Combine-style camp to showcase their skills.
Players were competing for invites to the NFL International Combine, NFL International Player Pathway Program, or the opportunity to join the NFL Academy in the UK as part of league efforts to advance pathways to play in the NFL for international athletes.
