Flag Football — Step-by-Step Roadmap

1. 1
   Stage 1 · Under 18 Grassroots & local entry

   Learn to throw, catch and pull flags — any open ground 50 × 25 yards works. No SAI NCOE or STC runs flag football. [1][7]

2. 2
   Stage 2 · 18+ Club & national team

   Play for a club; your national federation picks the national team. [1]

3. 3
   Stage 3 · Senior 2027 Asia Championship

   The top two in Asia go on to the Olympic Qualifier Series. [2]

4. ★
   Stage 4 · LA28 International orbit

   Host + top two eligible teams at the 2026 IFAF Worlds + top three at the 2028 Olympic Qualifier Series, per gender. [2]

Fuel, from stage 1: food first. Pair cereals with pulses about 3:1 — roti or rice with dal, chana or rajma; vegetarians add milk or curd, others eggs, fish or meat. ICMR-NIN says most athletes get enough protein from food and protein powders are unnecessary; NADA warns that no supplement is risk-free. [12][13]

• LA28 players must be 18 or older on 31 December 2028 and meet IFAF's eligibility rules. [2]

• Under the anti-doping code you must be available for testing and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; apply to NADA for a TUE if you need a banned medicine. [6]

The flag football ladder [1][2]

• Flag football is not among SAI's NCOE or STC sports. Players train with clubs and school teams; the game needs only a ball, flag belts and open ground. [7][1]

• You need a ball and a flag belt with two flags — no pads or helmets. Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — no governing body publishes them. [1]

Who pays [8]

• Flag football is not on the DoPT list of 65 sports, and the 2026 Railways and CRPF notices had no flag football posts. Today it is a sport to play for love and for the LA28 dream, not for a job. [9][10][11]

1. IFAF — International Flag Football Rules 2023 (5 on 5, non-contact; copy published by BAFRA) (opens in a new tab) Non-contact play, flag belts, 50 × 25 yd field, 5 players and 15-player roster, 2 × 20 min, 4 downs, quarterback 7 seconds, rushers 7 yd, scoring, no-running zones, flag guarding · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
2. IFAF — Qualification System, LA28 Olympic Games: Flag Football (version 12 May 2026; copy published by DOSB) (opens in a new tab) 6 + 6 teams of 10, age 18+, Worlds 2026 Düsseldorf, Olympic Qualifier Series with 2 teams per 2027 continental championship · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
3. International World Games Association — The World Games 2025, Chengdu (opens in a new tab) Flag football at the World Games 2025 · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
6. NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
7. SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) NCOE and STC sport lists (flag football not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
8. PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, TOPS, welfare fund, pension · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
9. DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) 65-sport list (flag football not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
10. Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) 2026-27 sports-quota posts (flag football not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
11. CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 2026 sports-quota disciplines (flag football not included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
12. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
13. NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 15 Oct 2026