Fijian students and coaches will have a chance to learn flag football as the U.S. Embassy in Suva has brought two American coaches to Fiji for a week-long program to teach the sport in Suva and Nadi.
Flag football is a fast-growing, non-contact variant of American football where defenders stop the ball carrier by pulling fabric flags off their waist belt instead of tackling them to the ground.
Typically played 5-on-5, the sport emphasizes speed, agility, and passing.
The program has been organised in partnership with United States of America Football and the U.S. Department of State and aims to build local coaching skills and expand the sport in Fiji ahead of flag football's official debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
U.S. U17 Girls flag national team head coach Joshua Saunders says Fiji is the best environment to introduce flag football because rugby is deeply rooted in the country, with talented people in sports.
He says the players have good hand-eye coordination and are fast, aggressive and smart.
Saunders says therefore, flag football would be a very easy transition for them.
He says the players they have encountered so far have been very athletic, coachable and willing to learn.
