The Nigerian American Football Association (NAFA) has kicked off the national finals of the Nigerian Secondary School Flag Football League Season 4, marking a major milestone in the sport’s fast-growing footprint across the country.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, NAFA Vice President Oluwaseye Obatolu said the league has evolved from a small cluster of participating schools into a national, data-driven youth development platform, using sport to empower young Nigerians.
According to Obatolu, participation has expanded significantly, with 11 states taking part in the preliminaries and seven states qualifying for the 2025 AKITI Bowl III finals. This year’s finalists—Oyo, Ondo, Kwara, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and the FCT—will field both male and female teams, a structure he described as proof of a broader talent pool and the sport’s rising popularity.
Flag football is now one of the fastest-growing school sports in Nigeria, driven by its affordability, inclusiveness, and strong emphasis on teamwork and leadership.
Obatolu also highlighted the increasing availability of scholarship opportunities, the growth of formal officiating and coaching clinics, and a developing pathway that connects Nigerian student-athletes to international exposure and platforms, further accelerating the sport’s development nationwide.
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