USA Football hosts Junior Flag Football National Team trials at United States Performance Center in Charlotte North Carolina
USA Football, the governing body of American football in the United States, will hold U.S. Junior National Team Trials from March 22-24 at the United States Performance Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to begin assembling rosters for the 2024 Junior International Cup, which will take place in July in Los Angeles – where flag football will make its Olympic debut in 2028.
USA Football is the organization responsible for fielding and leading the national teams at the junior and adult levels that will represent our country in international competitions. Last year, the 15U and 17U Boys’ and Girls’ U.S. National Teams defeated Japan in the finals of the Junior International Cup to secure gold.
The Junior National Teams are part of USA Football’s National Team Pathway, which offers athletes opportunities to compete in elite flag football from the youth level through adulthood. Several members of last year’s Junior National Teams tried out for the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams earlier this month.
This past year marked a period of unprecedented exposure and success for flag football. In October, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) added flag football to the Olympic program for the 2028 summer games in Los Angeles, drawing applause from international players around the world.
The 140 best youth flag football athletes from across the U.S. will participate in athletic testing and practice sessions with the hope of advancing to National Team Training Camps held in Charlotte in June. Only 18 boys and 18 girls will advance from Trials to Training Camp before the final 12-athlete rosters are selected ahead of the Junior International Cup.
Last year’s Junior International Cup included teams from Canada, Japan, Mexico and Panama. USA Football is looking to invite even more teams this summer.
USA FOOTBALL NATIONAL TEAM TRIALS
Who: The 140 best junior flag football players in the U.S. competing in U.S. Junior National Team Trials to represent the U.S. at the 2023 Junior International Cup in Los Angeles
What: USA Football’s 15U & 17U Boys’ and Girls’ Flag Football National Team Trials
When: Friday, March 22 – Sunday, March 24
Where: University of North Carolina at Charlotte
United States Performance Center
About USA Football: USA Football is the governing body of American football in the United States, the sole US member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Its non-profit mission includes designing and delivering premier educational, development, and competitive programs for American football, including tackle and flag football. USA Football is the only organization that selects and organizes men’s and women’s US National Teams in federation-sanctioned international competition.
