Updates

The NFL, USA Football, GENYOUth and Fuel Up to Play 60 announced the fifth year of the NFL FLAG-In-Schools Program, which aims to increase physical activity among youth by providing flag football resources to underserved school communities.

"We are excited to expand the NFL FLAG-in-Schools program to offer more kids access to the game and the opportunity to learn and develop important values and skills in a school environment through flag football," said NFL Vice President of Youth and High School Football Roman Oben.

USA Football will provide nearly 5,000 NFL FLAG-In-Schools Kits to schools in the 2018-19 school year. The kits include footballs, flag belts, kicking tees, posters and a PE curriculum for elementary and middle school students designed by SHAPE America.

"USA Football is proud to provide kits that help the physical education teachers teach the fundamentals of flag football and foster the overall health and well-being of young athletes," said USA Football Director of Events Brittney Brothers.

Digital NFL FLAG-In-Schools training modules are available free of charge to PE teachers nationwide. The modules follow the curriculum developed by USA Football and SHAPE America and meet national standards for continuing education. They are a helpful resource for instructors new to the program. Some of the program’s notable successes to date include:

• Seventy-one percent of recipients are high-need schools: 40% or more of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals based on household income.
• Ninety-eight percent of teachers reported using the kits in their PE class. Nearly half (47 percent) also used them after school.
• Participants observed increases in student interest and participation, as well as greater confidence among instructors in teaching and coaching the game.

Schools also report that the program has helped to increase female students' participation in physical activity at school. This initiative became a focus for many schools following a 2016 Tufts University study, which showed that girls are at greater risk than boys of falling short of in-school physical activity recommendations.

Learn more about NFL FLAG-In-Schools, or find or start an NFL FLAG league in your community.

For updates and more, follow @NFLPlayFootball and @GENYOUth on Twitter and share your stories using the hashtag #LetsPLAYFootball.