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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent

‘It’s gone berserk’: flag football rapidly catching on in UK

Leia and Jacob compete for the ball
Leia and Jacob of the London Fruit Bats. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, is rapidly catching on in the UK with a surge in the number of schools involved and participation numbers set to hit 100,000 by 2026.

Fuelled by an energetic campaign by the New York-based NFL to encourage young people in Britain to try the less violent alternative, teams with names such as the Northants Ducks, the South Coast Spitfires and the London Fruit Bats are experiencing rising demand.

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