The National Football League plans to launch women’s and men’s professional flag football leagues in the next couple of years, Commissioner Roger Goodell said in London, placing the sport on a path that would run ahead of its debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The announcement is the clearest sign yet that the league wants flag football to become more than a development or youth-level game.

Goodell told the Leaders in Sport conference at Twickenham Stadium that the NFL is committed to creating both a women’s professional league and a men’s professional flag league. He said the league has seen strong interest and expects to be able to launch the competitions within the next couple of years. That timeline would give the sport an organized professional structure before it appears on the Olympic stage for the first time.

The commissioner framed the move as part of a broader effort to build a ladder of participation. He said the NFL sees demand from colleges in the United States and universities internationally, and wants to create a system that connects youth leagues, high school, college and then professional competition. In his view, that kind of pathway is what turns a popular pastime into something that can scale.

Flag football has become one of the league’s preferred growth vehicles because it appeals to younger fans and can be played in more places than tackle football. Goodell said the NFL has prioritized it as a way to attract both male and female audiences, and his comments suggested that the league now sees formal women’s and men’s leagues as part of the same long-term strategy. The professional game would also give players and sponsors a clear endpoint instead of leaving the sport in a purely amateur or exhibition frame.

The timing matters because the NFL is trying to expand internationally while also broadening its domestic base. Goodell used the same conference appearance to talk about the league’s global ambitions and the role football can play in building community. For flag football, though, the immediate news was the commitment to create something closer to a true professional ecosystem. The league has not yet laid out the ownership model, scheduling format or list of launch markets, but the direction is clear: the NFL wants flag football to be part of its future, not just its showcase events.

The Olympic deadline also gives the NFL a marketing timetable. If the leagues are to open in the next couple of years, the league will need to settle how teams are formed, where the franchises sit and how players move between college and pro ranks. That uncertainty is part of the story: the league is making a promise before it has published the fine print.