Five schools from across Ealing are set to take part in the New York Jets’ NFL Girls Flag League in London this year, as the club announced a new elite all-girls travel squad intended to create a higher-level pathway for local players.
Jets Flag Elite London was unveiled earlier this week (2 March 2026) at the Ealing Trailfinders practice facility during an event marking the league’s fourth season. The Jets said the wider competition will involve 32 schools from across the capital and more than 300 girls aged 12 to 15 from south, west and east London.
The Ealing schools taking part are Ada Lovelace CE High School, Ealing Fields High School, Twyford CofE High School, Villiers High School and William Perkin.
The elite team is part of Jets Flag Elite, a programme launched in the United States in 2025, and will be made up of players drawn from the London schools league. The Jets said it will be led by Jay Taylor of the Fruit Bats flag football team and supported by a $10,000 grant, with additional funding for uniforms and equipment. The squad is expected to train regularly and travel to the US this summer to meet players from New York and New Jersey before taking part in a tournament.
Jesse Linder, the Jets’ vice-president of community relations, said: “Each year, we’ve seen the Jets NFL Girls Flag League grow with more young athletes getting involved and elevating the standard of play.”
Dr Chris Long, the NFL’s lead manager for youth and grassroots football development in the UK and Ireland, said: “This new performance pathway will only strengthen the opportunities available to them.”
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