IFAF President Pierre Trochet pays visit to member federations from across Africa in Cameroon

International Federation of American Football (IFAF) President, Pierre Trochet, recently concluded a visit to Yaoundé, Cameroon, where he met with several IFAF member federations from the African continent.

Representatives from Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, Congo, Morocco, South Africa and Ivory Coast joined their Cameroonian counterparts and the IFAF President at a Continental Meeting where they presented plans for an African development strategy and discussed the opportunity to host an IFAF Africa Continental Flag Football Championships in 2025.

During the visit, the IFAF President also met with key stakeholders in Cameroonian sport including His Excellency, Minister of Sports and Physical Education of Cameroon, Professor Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, and President Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, President of the Cameroon National Olympic and Sports Committee and he presented a donation of flag football equipment to the Cameroon Federation.

The visit to Cameroon further illustrates the growth of American football in many international markets – and IFAF’s commitment to ensure the sport appeals to new, broader global audiences. This especially applies to the development of flag football which continues to experience extraordinary growth, with 20 million players in 100 countries now playing the highly accessible and inclusive format. The increased interest in flag football is underpinned by the sport’s recent inclusion in the Olympic Games at LA 2028, which saw IFAF collaborate closely with the NFL on the project and broader ongoing growth mission.

Africa is a priority for IFAF’s global football expansion strategy and, through the federation’s joint venture partnership with the NFL, a number of programs are being run to increase players and fans across the continent. This included talent identification camps and NFL Flag football showcases in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2023 and Accra, Ghana, in 2022. The latter ‘NFL Africa: The Touchdown’ event was a week of fan festivities designed to engage the growing American football fanbase in the region.

“It has been an honour to have completed my first official visit to Cameroon and to have come together with several of IFAF’s African member federations to discuss our shared ambitions,” said IFAF President, Pierre Trochet. “It was also a pleasure to have met His Excellency Professor Narcisse Mouelle Kombi and President Hamad Kalkaba Malboum to discuss the fantastic opportunities for American football in each of Cameroon’s ten regions.”

“As we look ahead to the next stage of growth, the future of American football in the African continent is bright. IFAF is committed to accelerating the development of our game all over the world and I look forward to working together with our IFAF member federations in Africa to drive further participation across the continent.”