Flag Football Australia announces key NRL partnership to spearhead Los Angeles 2028 Olympics prep
Flag Football has already seen league, union and AFL players wear the green and gold. With the LA Olympics on the radar, the call is out for elite men and women to make the switch for 2028.
Australia’s sights are set on shocking the world at Los Angeles 2028 in the newest sport of flag football, and their latest move brings that dream one step closer.
American Football Australia has announced a groundbreaking partnership with NRL club South Sydney, with their Australian flag teams to train out of the $50m Heffron Centre.
AFA CEO Wade Kelly said the move adds an identity to the national teams with a World Cup and Olympics on the radar.
“We’ll be centralising in February and our top squad will be based out of Souths,” Kelly said.
“Four nights a week in preparation for the World Cup in Germany we’ll be training out of there.
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“I’ve got a long history with Souths. I know what the fabric of the place is and their new facility is world class. I’ve always loved that they’re a community club and that’s what we want to be.
“They’re heavily invested in Indigenous pathways and programs. They have tremendous values and that’s something we want to replicate.”
Off the back of a gold medal for the men and a silver for the women at the recent Asia Oceania Championships, both have qualified for next year’s World Cup.
Next weekend will mark the final chapter for 2025 in terms of recruiting top-tier talent to spearhead their charge towards higher honours.
A talent ID day will be held at the Heffron Centre on Saturday 29 November for both the juniors (turning 16 or 17 in 2026) and seniors, as Australia looks to add to its 2026 High Peformance program.
Kelly said it was a crucial step in the process to putting together a team that can hopefully take down America.
“The ultimate goal is to have an Australian team that can beat America in 2028,” he said.
“We know they’re the world champions and they’ll release NFL players to compete.
“These talent ID days are for those inside and outside the sport to put their stats forward and say they want to be a part of that. They want to go to the World Cup and the Olympics.
“We’ve had incredible success with cross-code athletes from the likes of AFL, netball, touch footy, Oztag and rugby league. Their skills all transfer well and we’ve seen that with growth across the men and women.”
There’s one position that they’ll need to get right if they want to medal at LA, and that’s quarterback.
Kelly said that is going to be their focus over the coming months.
“Most positions people are able to pick up straight away. But the most challenging one is quarterback,” he said.
“Even with some great athletes, it’s the hardest one to find.
“We’ve had Jared Stegman and Quade Cooper perform strongly. Marcel (Pascual) is another young player from AFL who has shown promise.
“Tessa Davis is 18 and also from AFL, and she has a brilliant mentality.”
Kelly praised the attitude of Cooper, a Wallabies veteran with 80 international caps to his name, who has gone on to represent Australia in flag football.
“Quade’s brilliant for two reasons,” he said.
“He comes with a lot of attention, but he’s also so meticulous in his preparation.
“Our men and women train together, and to see how he prepares for sport is a real eye opener. A lot don’t realise just how much preparation he puts in.”
Cooper is among a number of cross-code talents to have tried their hand at the growing sport.
Rebecca Pollard (NRLW), Kodie Fuller (gridiron), Shontelle Stowers (Australia union, NSW league) and AFLW draft prospects Amelie Prosser-Shaw and Ella Calleja are among those to have found success.
To register for the Talent ID day, CLICK HERE.
Originally published as Flag Football Australia announces key NRL partnership to spearhead Los Angeles 2028 Olympics prep
