New York Jets Launches Flag Football Elite Programme in Ealing
Local schools predominate in girls' league
Jets linebacker and team captain Marcelino McCray Ball meets local flag footballers. Picture: New York Jets
March 5, 2026
The New York Jets has launched a major expansion of girls’ flag football in London, with Ealing schools playing a prominent role in the latest season of the Jets NFL Girls Flag League. The announcement was made at a dual-launch event at the Ealing Trailfinders training facility, where the team also unveiled Jets Flag Elite London, the first all-girls elite flag football travel team of its kind in the UK.
Jets Flag Elite London will draw its players from the league and offer advanced coaching, regular training and the chance to travel to the United States in the summer to train and compete alongside the Jets’ American squads. The programme is backed by a $10,000 grant from the Jets, along with funding for uniforms and equipment, and will be led by Jay Taylor of the Fruit Bats flag football team.
The launch coincided with the return of the Jets NFL Girls Flag League for its fourth year, which has grown steadily since its creation in 2023. More than 300 girls aged 12 to 15 will take part this season, representing 32 schools across South, West and East London. Ealing has one of the strongest levels of participation anywhere in the capital, with Ada Lovelace CE High School, Ealing Fields High School, Twyford CofE High School, Villiers High School and William Perkin CofE High School all fielding teams. Their involvement reflects the borough’s growing reputation as a hub for girls’ flag football.
The day began with a welcome session and Q&A featuring Jets linebacker and team captain Marcelino McCray-Ball, before players moved onto the field for skills sessions and drills. Coaches from both the UK and US programmes worked with the girls, many of whom are returning players who have been part of the league since its early years.
The Jets has invested more than $2.5 million in girls’ flag football since 2011 and supported more than 6,000 participants in 2025 alone. It says that the London league is one of the most successful international elements of that work, and the creation of Jets Flag Elite London marks the first time the elite pathway has been expanded outside the United States.
The initiative forms part of the Jets’ international strategy under the NFL’s Global Markets Program, which grants teams long-term marketing and development rights in selected countries.
Flag football is now played by more than 20 million people worldwide and will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. UK governing bodies, including the British American Football Association, expect participation to rise sharply in the coming years.
Participation in the launch event at Ealing Trailfinders . Picture: New York Jets
With Ealing schools again heavily represented and the borough hosting the launch event, the area is set to remain at the centre of London’s expanding girls’ flag football scene. As the new season begins, attention will turn to how local teams perform in a league that is becoming more competitive each year, and how many of their players might progress into the newly formed elite squad.
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