Meet the women behind flag football’s global rise ahead of LA28 Olympics: "We are leading the movement"

As flag football continues to grow both internationally and across the United States, a group of pioneering women are helping blaze a trail for the sport’s next chapter.

Olympics.com spoke with three of those trailblazers during Super Bowl LX week at Radio Row in San Francisco: Nausicaa Dell’Orto (Italy), Kodie Fuller (Australia), and Mona Stevens (Germany). The trio was selected by the NFL as global ambassadors for flag football, recognising their impact in expanding the game worldwide.

“It's just a very surreal feeling to be able to be here and have the platform that we've been given to be able to grow the game here and in our home countries,” Fuller told Olympics.com.

Their presence during Super Bowl week reflects the rapid momentum of a sport that is moving closer to its LA28 Olympics debut. At an event that celebrated the pinnacle of professional American tackle football, the integration of flag football into the NFL ecosystem has become increasingly visible.

From the Pro Bowl’s flag football format to exhibition games throughout Super Bowl week, the sport’s momentum is undeniable. Excitement around flag football now stretches from players to the league office.

“This is our time to shine,” Stevens said. “The NFL, we know it all, big guys, men’s dominated sports, but now the NFL is recognising that we are badasses on the field. The girls are taking over the game.”

Pioneers of women’s flag football

Dell’Orto’s journey into the sport began in an unexpected place: the sidelines. She initially served as a cheerleader for a men’s tackle football team in Italy, but watching the game up close sparked a desire to play herself.

“I created the first team because there wasn't a possibility at the time,” Dell’Orto said. “We had to train in the park for so many months to be able to have just one chance to play another team that was being created.”

In 2010, she helped organise the first women’s flag and tackle football league in Italy.

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Mona Stevens on her first steps in flag football: "I fell in love at first sight"

Stevens' path to flag football was different. She first became involved with tackle football in Germany as a physical therapist for a team. But by the end of her first season, she no longer wanted to remain on the sidelines.

A call from a friend introduced her to a new opportunity.

“Hey, there are tryouts for the national team in Germany in flag football,” her friend said.

At first, Stevens was sceptical, believing the sport lacked the physicality of tackle football. But she decided to attend the tryouts anyway.

“I just balled out and I fell in love at first sight,” Stevens told Olympics.com. “Flag football is so fun, fast, creative. It's crazy how much I enjoy this sport and I can't stop playing it, period, forever.”

Fuller’s introduction to the sport also came unexpectedly. A university soccer player at the time, she had little knowledge of American football when she first tried it.

“I knew absolutely nothing about it, but I thought the pads and the helmet looked really cool,” Fuller said. “As soon as I stepped foot onto the field and started running routes and learning little bits about the game, I fell in love.”

In Australia, the sport is still in its early stages, but Fuller has been part of its development from the beginning.

“I've kind of been there from the start of the sport in my country,” she said. “To see it grow from only having a couple of other women playing flag football to now we've got young girls playing, we have national teams, we have national tournaments.”

Despite being considered a pioneer herself, Fuller says one of the most rewarding aspects of the journey has been meeting the sport’s emerging global stars, including Diana Flores (Mexico) and Vanita Krouch (USA).

“What I'm most excited about is the opportunities,” Fuller said. “These moments put front and centre not only flag football, not only players, but women in the sport.”

Diana Flores becomes a global face of flag football

Mexico’s Flores has become one of the most recognisable figures in flag football. She spoke with Olympics.com about embracing the responsibility that comes with representing the sport on the global stage.

“As the face of this sport, I embrace that honour with such a big responsibility to keep opening doors and keep those doors open for the next generation to come,” Flores said.

For Flores, the sport’s rapid growth signals something bigger than competition.

“We are leading the movement, and it's just going to change lives,” she said.

For many of these athletes, the momentum has already created life-changing opportunities, from appearing in Super Bowl commercials to being recognised alongside NFL legends.

The pioneers of the sport have also begun offering advice to NFL players who have expressed interest in competing in flag football, particularly with the sport set to debut at the LA28 Olympic Games.

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Their work has helped reshape the landscape of the game, making it easier for the next generation of girls and women to compete at the highest level, represent their countries, and pursue Olympic gold.

“For girls especially, we open doors now,” Stevens said. “It’s very emotional. Every one of us had very big barriers where they said basically, ‘women are not allowed on the football field, you can bring the water.’ And now, seeing that we get the backing from the NFL to push us to the Olympics.”

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