USA FOOTBALL U.S. NATIONAL TEAM ALUMNI STAR IN SUPER BOWL LIX AD PROMOTING FLAG FOOTBALL
Flag football superstars highlight the growth of opportunities for girls and women
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – USA Football U.S. National Team alumni Ashlea Klam, Vanita Krouch and Kiona “Ki'lolo” Westerlund starred alongside NFL legends in the league’s Super Bowl LIX commercial “NFL Flag 50” promoting the growth of opportunities for girls and women to play America’s favorite sport. The full two-minute campaign is available online.
Through efforts like their “NFL Flag 50” campaign, the NFL hopes to inspire all 50 states to sanction girls’ high school flag football as a varsity sport.
NFL Legends Marshawn Lynch and Pat McAfee cameo in the commercial alongside current NFL All-Pros Myles Garrett and Justin Jefferson. Jefferson is a member of the International Federation of American Football's and the NFL’s Global Flag Football Ambassador program, along with Super Bowl LIX MVP Jalen Hurts, Torry Holt, Lamar Jackson, Eli Manning and many other notable past and current players.
The increased accessibility and popularity of football worldwide have been staggering in the lead up to flag football’s debut as an Olympic sport in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. High school sanctioning efforts have quickly caught on in states across the country. Within the past month, Mississippi became the 14th state to sanction the sport, and Louisiana conditionally approved it with a formal vote set for April.
The full list of states to formally sanction flag football includes Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Louisiana and Tennessee. An additional 18 states have pilot programs, not counting Louisiana.
As the sport’s governing body, USA Football selects, trains and leads the U.S. National Teams in flag and tackle football for international competition, including IFAF World Championships, The World Games and the Olympics.
Klam, Krouch and Westerlund are veterans on the international stage, each possessing multiple years of experience competing against teams from around the world. Klam and Krouch won the IFAF Flag Football World Championship in Lahti, Finland this past August, and Westerlund won the 17U girls’ division of USA Football’s Junior International Cup in Los Angeles.
Westerlund, who played a starring role in the “NFL Flag 50” campaign, won gold medals with the 15U U.S. Girls’ National Team in 2022 and the 17U U.S. Girls’ National Team in 2023 and 2024, competing against teams from Canada, Japan, Mexico and Panama in the annual Junior International Cup. She appeared on Good Morning Football to discuss the commercial on Monday, Feb. 10.
This fall, Westerlund will continue her flag football journey on scholarship at Alabama State University as part of the program’s NCAA Division I FCS women’s flag football team.
Krouch is the most decorated woman in U.S. National Team history. She’s 33-1 in her international career, including world championship victories in 2018, 2021 and 2024 and a gold medal finish in the first-ever IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship in 2023. Krouch won a silver medal when flag football debuted as a World Games sport in Birmingham, Ala. in 2022. She is a member of IFAF’s and the NFL’s Global Flag Football Ambassador program.
Klam began her international career as a co-captain on the 17U U.S. Girls’ National Team in 2022 before winning gold medals with the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2023 and 2024. She plays women’s flag football on scholarship at NAIA powerhouse Keiser University. Klam served as an American Football Sports Envoy with the U.S. Department of State, traveling to São Paulo, Brazil to kick-off Super Bowl LVIII week in 2024.
Klam is a member of USA Football’s Board of Directors and a leading advocate for sanctioning girls’ high school flag football in her home state of Texas.
USA Football, in partnership with Duality Sports & Entertainment, will debut their first documentary, “Champions Rising: USA Football's National Team” following Klam, Krouch and the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams on the thrilling path from U.S. National Team Training Camp to winning IFAF Flag Football World Championships. A preview of Champions Rising is available. The full documentary premiers this spring.
The next cycle of U.S. National Team Trials begins in March as past, present and future U.S. National Team athletes compete to earn their places on the team for 2025.
About USA Football: USA Football is the governing body of American Football in the United States. As a Recognized Sports Organization of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the sole U.S. member of the International Federation of American Football, USA Football selects, trains and leads the U.S. National Teams in tackle and flag football disciplines, while delivering world-class football development resources, sport standards and competitive opportunities to empower athletes at every level. USA Football is committed to ensuring every athlete has access to develop and compete in the game through safer, inclusive and innovative pathways.