• by Wayne Friedman , Yesterday

Looking to expand the popularity of football -- with fans and with TV networks and streamers -- the National Football League is starting a flag football league for both women’s and men’s teams by 2028.

The push for a league now comes as flag football teams will make their debut in two years with the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, also for women and men. 

The NFL's current plans are to launch flag football competition to gain the promotional push that the Olympics will provide.

Partners in the NFL effort include TMRW Sport, a sports, media, and technology company. The company recently launched TGL, an indoor golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Investors in the flag football league will include Silver Lake Ariel Investments/Project Level, Bessemer Venture Partners, Blue Pool Capital, and Dynasty Equity.

This list also includes well-known athletes including ex-NFL players and from other sports, including Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Joe Montana and Alex Morgan, among many others.

The NFL’s own venture arm is contributing up to $32 million to start the league. The league is also working on media and sponsorship deals.

Flag football, which has been around for years, is a non-contact version of American football where defenders stop plays by pulling a flag off a belt worn by the ball carrier rather than tackling.

Each team consists of five players, typically played during two 20-minute halves, on a smaller size football field.

Flag football is offered at the high school level in 39 states and has some 4.1 million players, including both men and women.