Ireland’s National Flag Football programme is entering an exciting phase of growth —
delivering international results, expanding participation, and creating new opportunities
for commercial partners to align with one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.
Recent performances by the Irish Wolfhounds Men’s and Women’s National Teams
demonstrate clear competitive progress and growing ambition as Ireland strengthens its
position among Europe’s emerging Flag Football nations.
The women’s national team travelled to Amsterdam in May to compete in the inaugural
Nations Cup and returned as champions.
Following a strong opening victory over the Netherlands (39–14), Ireland narrowly lost
to Sweden (21–24) in a dramatic final-play finish before responding emphatically on
Sunday with a 31–20 victory to secure the title.
The performance highlighted the continued development of the programme, combining
experienced internationals including Jenny Kavanagh, Helen Smyth and Megan Howe
with four debutants — Sophie Laughlin, Siomha Quinn, Maddie Baehr and Holly Brown
— showcasing the depth emerging across Irish Flag Football.
National Director and Women’s Head Coach Alan Barnewell reflected:
“We’re pleased with how the weekend went. We see 2026 as a year for development
and this tournament gave us an opportunity to test new athletes and systems in
international competition. Just as importantly, it helped us continue building our identity
and culture as a programme.”
The men’s national team travelled to the highly competitive Copenhagen Bowl, fielding
a squad that blended experienced veterans with five international debutants.
Strong performances included victories over the Danish National Team (White
Thunder) (26-24), a crucial draw against reigning European Champions Italy (Browns) (24-24),
and further wins against leading French opposition Quetzals (25-15). Ireland progressed into
the knockout stages before ultimately falling to Germany — one of the world’s strongest
programmes — in the quarter-finals, finishing 8th overall.
Men’s Head Coach Jo Buchanan said:
“This was an extremely positive tournament with some excellent performances. These
experiences accelerate development, especially for newer athletes, and reinforce what
this group is capable of as we continue building towards next year’s European
Championships.”
These results arrive at a pivotal moment for the sport.
Flag Football will make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles in 2028, creating a genuine
pathway from grassroots participation to Olympic representation. Internationally, Flag
Football is now played in more than 100 countries and continues to see rapid growth
across youth and women’s participation.
In Ireland, momentum is accelerating. Sport Ireland has confirmed funding of up to
€200,000 annually over the next three years, alongside matching NFL investment to
support the continued expansion of Flag Football nationwide through participation,
coaching and programme development. More than 5,000 young people are already
participating through NFL school programmes with 65 schools primary and secondary
through hubs in Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Galway, with ambitions for significant future
growth. There is a very close relationship between American Football Ireland, NFL, and
Sport Ireland. There is an island-wide infrastructure of American Flag Football
For partners, this represents an opportunity to engage with:
- A high-growth Olympic sport entering the mainstream
- National teams competing internationally under Team Ireland
- Strong youth and female participation growth
- Expanding digital, community and event visibility
- Authentic stories of performance, ambition and representation
The next chapter continues with the Women’s team competing in the Nations Cup in
Prague and the Men’s programme travelling to Flagapalooza in the UK.
As the Irish Wolfhounds programme enters this next phase, we are actively seeking
commercial partners who want to help shape the future of Irish Flag Football while
aligning their brand with ambition, inclusion and international opportunity.
To explore partnership opportunities, contact: National Director Alan Barnewell
alan_ba@americanfootball.ie
Emma Beamish – Author
