Ireland set to host 2023 IFAF European Flag Football Championships
The International Federation of American Football, IFAF has announced that Ireland will host the 2023 IFAF European Flag Football Championships. The tournament will run from August 18th to 23rd in the University of Limerick and will see more than a dozen European nation teams compete in Senior Men’s and Senior Women’s games.
Speaking at the launch in UL, American Football Ireland President Aidan Maguire had this to say:
“Flag football is the key to getting more people involved in the sport. This brings American football Ireland to the forefront and gives us additional exposure.”
“A marquee event like this is only the first step to getting to where we want to be. The first step of many.”
It seems like this could be the first of many international flag football events to take place in Ireland in the near future. “After yesterday’s launch we received an enquiry to host another international event, but it’s very early days yet” Maguire told Gaelic Gridiron.
The news is a massive boost for the flag football movement in Ireland and is a testament to the fantastic work being carried out to grow and promote the sport here. For years, flag football in Ireland was poorly run. But now it’s a different story. The non-contact iteration of the game provides an inclusive and accessible path to anyone who wants to try out the sport and get involved.
Newly appointed Director of Flag Football, Guillaume Poznanski also welcomed the news, citing it as “the opportunity we have been waiting for to showcase Flag Football to all corners of the island.”
GP is aware of the magnitude of the potential returns from Ireland hosting such a high-profile event.
“Flag Football has grown rapidly over the last couple of years globally and AFI Flag Football has been following the same trend too. While AFI and the National Team will focus on making sure the event in Limerick is a success, as a national league our aim is to make sure we also raise the standards of the sport locally in Ireland to ultimately raise our national game and become real contenders on the international scene. We welcome the event and hope it will greatly raise interest and bring more players and skills to the game of Flag Football on the emerald isle.”
This is without a doubt a massive scoop for not only the league, but for the wider flag football community in Ireland. Flag football is still very much a fringe sport. And while massive progress has been made in recent years to alter this perception, a high-profile event such as this will give a much-needed boost to the game’s profile.
By Jimmy English
