The school entered an U13 Mixed team that faced off against Ysgol Gwynedd (U11 Mixed) and Prestatyn High School (U15 Girls).
The three schools sealed their place with victory in the Welsh NFL Flag National Championships on May 6 at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Ysgol Gwynedd, Mary Immaculate High, and Prestatyn High School were among ten schools and 98 participants from across Wales who took to the field.
The UK national championship saw 280 children from 28 schools take to the field The qualifying rounds saw record levels of participation across the UK with a total of 480 schools entering local qualifying rounds.
Competitors were joined by several special guests in Leeds, including Britain’s first female coach in the NFL, Phoebe Schecter and former NFL player Jason Bell. Members of the Women’s and Men’s Great Britain Flag Football teams were also in attendance alongside Sky Sports NFL presenter Neil Reynolds.
Former NFL star Jason Bell attended the championships _(Image: Sean Ryan NFL)_ The competition would ultimately see teams from Little Ealing and Ealing Fields sweep all three categories.
The NFL Flag Football programme was established in 2017 and is the NFL’s official program for non-contact football, quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing sports in the UK with 1,000 schools now competing in related events.
Flag football will be played at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028, and is the world’s fastest-growing-sport, played by over 20 million people in more than 100 countries. It is the most inclusive and accessible form of American Football, with female athletes driving some of the fastest growth of the sport. This fast, highly accessible and inclusive non-contact format of the game is spearheading extraordinary growth in participation globally.
NFL UK & Ireland general manager Henry Hodgson said: "We were delighted to be able to bring our GB NFL Flag National Championships to Leeds for the first time.
“The growth of participation in the NFL Flag programme plays a key role in the growth of the NFL throughout the UK and Ireland. Congratulations to our three new national champions and to all the teams who competed in this year's championships."