American Football’s NFL came to Kenya this weekend for its latest competition on the African continent as it seeks to win converts to the sport.
US sports have increasingly sought to break into the African market, with the NBA launching a high-profile Basketball Africa League in 2019, based in Rwanda.
Recent days saw a third annual flag football competition staged by the National Football League (NFL) in Africa — a non-contact version of the sport that has grown in popularity around the world and will make its Olympics debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The three-day competition saw Egypt emerge as winners of the men’s contest against teams from Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa, while the women’s contest was won by Nigeria.
The event also included a talent-spotting session with NFL scouts, looking for the next star to join the league.
“Flag football is very accessible, everybody can play it,” said Osi Umenyiora, who won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants, and now heads NFL Africa.
“As the NFL looks to expand and keep on growing especially across the continent of Africa… participation is a huge part of it,” he said.
“We all know what sport can do for people, it can allow them to escape whatever situation they’re in, and give them hope, and that’s what we’re trying to do here,” he added.
Nigeria has already earned itself a place at the flag football world championships in Dusseldorf, Germany in August — where it hopes to qualify for the Olympics.
“We have been playing NFL flag football for a long time — since 2016 — and the game has exploded to 40 teams (in Nigeria), which gives us the edge over other countries in Africa,” said Nigerian coach Ephraim Faloughi. “I never thought I could be an Olympian — now we have the opportunity,” he added.
The NFL has expanded internationally in recent years, playing a handful of its games in Europe and South America.