USA Football’s Men’s and Women’s Flag Football National Teams Go for Gold Friday in Charlotte

International Competition Gold Medal Games at UNCC begin at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

INDIANAPOLIS – USA Football’s U.S. Men’s and Women’s Flag Football National Teams will play for gold medals on Friday against international competition at the IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship at UNC Charlotte. 

The Gold Medal games begin at 6:00 p.m. as the U.S. Women’s National Team takes on Mexico. The action continues at 7:30 p.m. when the U.S. Men’s National Team also takes on Mexico in their gold medal match. Medal ceremonies are scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Carolina Panthers Legend Mike Rucker will be in attendance.  

The U.S. National Teams enter Friday’s competition undefeated. Quarterback Darrell “Housh” Doucette and wide receiver Bruce Mapp lead the Men’s National Team while quarterback Vanita Krouch and wide receiver Joann Overstreet lead the Women’s National Team.  

There are numerous elite athletes with connections to the Carolinas on the national teams. Charlotte native Madison Fulford is instrumental in the Women’s National Team’s success. The former Limestone University track star snagged 26 receptions for 502 yards and ten touchdowns across the team’s five victories.  

Greenville, N.C. native and former UNC Chapel Hill track and field athlete Amber Clark starred on defense with three interceptions and 17 successful passes defended. On the men’s team, Mapp, who was an All-Conference wide receiver for Coastal Carolina, caught 21 passes for four touchdowns and eight extra points across the team’s 5-0 start.  

The Americas Continental Flag Football Championship is hosted by USA Football, the sport’s governing body, and sanctioned by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), the international governing body for the sport of American football. The championship is part of the biggest-ever cycle of global flag football competition in the run up to the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships, in Lahti, Finland.  

USA Football and IFAF are hopeful that flag football’s booming international popularity will secure the sport a spot in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.  

Flag football is exploding in popularity in the United States and internationally. An annual participation study from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) in 2022, showed 7.1 million people in the U.S. participated in flag football with approximately 2.5 million people routinely engaging with the sport.  

Seven states plus Southern California have sanctioned girls’ flag football as a varsity sport. Locally, the Carolina Panthers worked with Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools to pilot a girl's high school flag football league in 2021 that recently completed its second year, featuring 24 teams from 19 area high schools. 

About USA Football: USA Football designs and delivers premier educational, developmental and competitive programs to advance, unify and grow the sport. As the sport’s governing body, member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and organizer of the U.S. National Team for international competition, USA Football partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experiences for youth, high school, and other amateur players.