Australian team, NRL, AFL, netball, who can play, what are the rules, 2028 Olympics sports, Los Angeles

Reece Walsh and Nick Daicos, Olympic gold medal winning teammates.

Now it sounds.

NRL, AFL and Super Netball players could soon become Olympians, with flag football set to be played at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Flag football is essentially a gridiron game, but without tackling, and Australia plans to compete for a gold medal by recruiting athletes from various sports.

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Gridiron Australia managing director Wade Kelly said his sport would be flexible and allow players to continue their professional careers while pursuing their Olympic dreams.

Kelly’s pitch to potential athletes is simple: Would you like to win an Olympic gold medal?

“It’s a 360-degree game, you have to go down the field, turn around and catch the ball. It’s AFL, it’s netball, it’s basketball. And then you add in the guys from the league and the union who are used to playing Oztag,” Kelly told News Corp.

“Look at guys like Reece Walsh, how good he is against Tyreek Hill as a wide receiver. Patty Mills, incredible in the air. Guys like (Charlie) Curnow in the AFL, imagine him going up against some of those NFL superstars.

“Then look at the girls. Liz Watson at netball. Isabelle Kelly from rugby league has been a fantastic player, she would adapt really well to the sport. And then AFL girls, you could take your pick.

“We also have our own players who are doing very well for us at the moment and we will be bringing in additional athletes from other sports.

“We are a start-up sport and we want people from other sports to come and have a chance to be part of the Australian team for 2028.”

In NFL flag football, teams play five-on-five and each game consists of two 20-minute halves, but tournament games are typically shorter with 12-minute halves.

Instead of tackling their opponents, players carry two flags suspended along their sides by a belt and defenders stop the ball carrier by removing one or both flags.

The popularity of the NFL in Australia is booming and the league has already signed AFL and rugby league stars in the United States, including Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata, who played in lower categories with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

North Queensland star Valentine Holmes and former NRL player Jarryd Hayne have also taken sabbaticals from rugby league to play in the NFL, with the latter cracking the San 49ers starting team Francisco.

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“Everyone’s been talking about the NFL for 15 years, year after year, it’s getting crazy,” Kelly said.

“Over the last 48 hours, guys who play elite professional sports have expressed interest in playing.

“I had a conversation with an NRL player last week who would love to play there.

“For many of our AFL, union, league and netball guys and girls, NFL players are their sporting heroes.

“Having a chance to play against Patty Mahomes in the Olympics would be a dream come true.”

Gridiron Australia has fielded Australian representative teams for four decades, but its flag football team only debuted competitively in the last 12 months.

The NFL opened an office in Australia 18 months ago, with the primary goal of promoting flag football under the NFL banner in Australian schools.

Last year, ten primary schools from across Queensland and northern New South Wales competed and the winning school flew to Las Vegas to compete in the NFL Pro Bowl weekend as part of the international championships.

This year, 84 schools are competing for that Pro Bowl title and experience.

AUSTRALIA’S POTENTIAL GOALS FOR 2028 OLYMPIC TEAMS:

MEN:

Charlie Curnow

Nick Daicos

Reece Walsh

Joseph Suaalii

Jason Saab

Kalyn Ponga

Alofiana Khan-Pereira

WOMEN:

Tamika Upton

Isabelle Kelly

Jakiya Whitfeld

Bonnie Toogood

Gemma Houghton

Sophie Dwyer

Sunday Aryang