USA Football

Governing body of American football

This article is about the governing body of American football in the United States. For the governing body of association football, see United States Soccer Federation.

For other uses, see Football in the United States (disambiguation).

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|

USA Football

Formation| 2002; 23 years ago (2002)
Type| Non-profit
Headquarters| Indianapolis, Indiana

Chairman

| Peter W. Chiarelli

Key people

| Scott Hallenbeck (CEO and Executive Director), Jamie Riley (COO)
Website| usafootball.com

USA Football is the National Governing Body (NGB) of American football in the United States, having received formal certification from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee on April 17, 2025, becoming the 38th Summer Olympics National Governing Body.[1] This distinction marked a significant milestone in American football history as USA Football became the sport’s first National Governing Body.[2]

As the NGB, USA Football selects, trains and leads the U.S. National Teams (in both tackle and flag football disciplines) that represent the United States on the world’s stage, including when flag football makes its Olympic debut in Los Angeles in 2028.[3] USA Football is a member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).[4] In its role as the NGB, USA Football is also responsible for delivering world-class football development resources, sport standards and competitive opportunities to empower athletes at every level.[5]

USA Football was previously designated a Recognized Sports Organization by the USOPC on November 6, 2015. [6]

USA Football was endowed by the National Football League (NFL) and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) in 2002.

## The U.S. National Teams

[edit]

As the formally certified National Governing Body of American Football by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the sole U.S. member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), USA Football is the only organization responsible for selecting, leading and training the men’s and women’s national teams that represent the country in international competitions, including when flag football makes its debut as an Olympic sport in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

The United States Performance Center (USPC) is the U.S. National Team’s elite sport performance and training partner. Located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the USPC serves as the home of USA Football’s adult and junior U.S. Flag National Team Trials and Training Camps.[7]

USA Football fields tackle and flag football teams at a variety of age levels, this includes the men's and women's tackle teams and men's and women's flag teams. To represent the United States as part of the U.S. National Teams, athletes must go through the National Team Pathway that exists through USA Football.[8]

The National Team Development Program (NTDP) is the primary pathway for flag football players aged 11–23 to level up their skills and compete for a Select Team roster spot and future U.S. National Team Trials invitations.[9]

In Fall 2024, USA Football announced the expansion of the NTDP for its 2025 cycle to provide more opportunities for athletes to develop alongside and compete against the nation’s best flag football players.[10] The program expanded to match flag football’s exponential growth and uphold the U.S. National Team’s gold medal tradition.

### National Team Success

[edit]

USA Football selects, trains and leads the U.S. National Teams in tackle and flag football disciplines. These teams represent the country in IFAF-sanctioned international competitions, including, but not limited to, Men’s and Women’s Tackle World Championships, Men's and Women's Flag Football World Championships, the World Games and ultimately the Olympics when flag football will make its debut on the world’s stage at the Los Angeles Summer Games in 2028.

USA Football's national teams across both tackle football and flag football have been among the most successful in the world.[11]

The Women’s Tackle National Team has won all four of IFAF's world championships, taking gold in competitions in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2022.[11] The most recent gold-medal winning team was led by head coach Callie Brownson, a barrier-breaking college and professional coach who joined USA Football as Senior Director of High Performance and National Team Operations in 2025. Alumni of the USA Football’s Women’s Tackle National Team include current and former NFL coaches Angela Baker, Brownson, Katie Sowers and Jennifer Welter, four-time NAIA Women's Flag Finals Championship head coach Liz Sowers and Women's National Football Conference founder and CEO Odessa Jenkins.

The men's tackle national team has won three consecutive gold medals in the IFAF men’s tackle events in 2007, 2011 and 2015. USA Football has also fielded U20 men's tackle teams, earning gold medals in 2009 and 2014.[11]

Notable national team alumni include Jameis Winston, Mac Jones, Kenny Pickett, Todd Gurley, Jonathan Taylor, Tyrann Mathieu, Trevon Diggs, Trey McBride, Chase Young and many more.

In total, 15 U.S. National Team alumni have been drafted in the first round and 14 have been selected in the second round. Six have gone on to earn All-Pro honors during their time in the league, including Jordan Poyer and Wyatt Teller. More than 75 U.S. National Team alumni have been selected in the NFL Draft and more have found homes in the league as undrafted free agents.[12]

USA Football's U.S. Men’s and Women’s Flag National Teams have proven their dominance on the world stage consistently. The men have won five consecutive IFAF Flag Football World Championships, and the women have captured the last three.[11] These teams have featured the best of the best in the sport, including prolific quarterbacks Darrell "Housh" Doucette and Vanita Krouch.

Most recently, in August 2024, the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams successfully defended their status as the top-ranked teams in the world at the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships in Lahti, Finland. The event featured 32 men's and 23 women's national teams from six continents, making it the largest competition ever held by IFAF [13]

The National Teams' journey from training camp to gold medals in Finland is profiled in the documentary film, “Champions Rising: USA Football’s National Team.” The film, which was released in March 2025, is a behind-the-scenes inside look at what it takes to be world champions in flag football, challenging some misconceptions about the sport.[14]

In 2025, the men's and women's teams will compete in the IFAF Americas Continental Flag Football Championship, which features the top national teams from countries throughout North, Central and South America and serves as a qualifier for the next World Championships in 2026.

The women's team will also compete in the World Games 2025, an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games, in August 2025 in Chengdu, China.[15]

## Coach Education and Certification

[edit]

USA Football is the global leader in youth football coaching education, with more than 1.2 million completed coach certifications in all 50 states and numerous foreign countries across six continents through its Youth Coach Certification Program.[16] The program is available for both flag and tackle disciplines of the game.

From head, heart and heat lessons to Emergency Action Planning (EAP) and athlete communications strategies, coaches can gain insights to prepare them to deliver the best-in-class athlete experience. Certified coaches also get access to Football Development Model (FDM) age-based videos, resource guides and more.

USA Football’s Youth Coach Certification Program has been recognized by the states of Arkansas and Alabama as an approved education program under the states’ Coach Safely Acts.

### Football Development Model (FDM)

[edit]

Football’s positive cultural change that was advanced by Heads up Football beginning in 2012[17] is being further propelled by USA Football’s Football Development Model (FDM), launched in 2021.

Developed in partnership with medical, child development, long-term athlete development and football subject matter experts, the FDM aligns with the United States Olympic & Paralympics Committee’s long-term athlete development principles. Its progressive skill instruction focuses on developing the whole athlete, on and off the field, while meeting them with at their current stage of development. This approach reduces contact early in an athlete’s progression while teaching age-appropriate skills.[18]

By providing multiple pathways to access football – non-contact, limited contact and full contact – the FDM gives young athletes more opportunities to play the game and choose the type of football they want to play.

## Grant Program

[edit]

USA Football, which is endowed by the National Football League Foundation, offers an extensive grants program that has awarded more than $21 million in grants to youth and school-based football programs, which has directly benefited youth and high school players across 14,000 programs in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.[19]

USA Football’s grant program focuses on decreasing barriers to participation and improving the athlete experience by supporting youth organizations seeking to expand their programs or improve their equipment. USA Football also supports these efforts with its own resources and grants fulfilled by its partners.

Since 2022, USA Football has supported the startup and sustainability of 12 new girls’ flag football leagues.[20] The organization’s Girls’ Flag Grant is designed for youth and scholastic organizations who are starting girls’ flag football programs. USA Football also offers an AED grant program. By equipping their sidelines with an AED, organizations ensure that lifesaving support is seconds away during a cardiac arrest emergency.

## Board of Directors

[edit]

In February 2022, Peter W. Chiarelli, a retired U.S. Army general, was named chairman of USA Football.[21] He was preceded by Raymond Odierno, formerly the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, when he succeeded Carl Peterson in 2017.

As of April 2025[update], USA Football's Board of Directors includes:[22]

* General Peter W. Chiarelli (Ret.), Chairman
* Amber Clark‡, University of St. Mary (Kan.)
* Sheneika Comice‡
* Mike Golic, TV/radio host and former NFL player
* Dr. Gerard Gioia, Children's National Hospital
* Ashlea Klam‡, Student-athlete; Keiser University (Fla.)
* Darcy Leslie‡, Hardware Strength & Conditioning
* Mark Murphy, Green Bay Packers
* Elizabeth Okey‡, Wintrust Financial Corporation
* Michelle Roque-Paskow‡, American Flag Football League
* Pete Ward, Indianapolis Colts

‡ USA Football National Team Alumnus

## Partners

[edit]

USA Football is affiliated with the following corporate and strategic partners:[citation needed]

* BreakAway
* BSN SPORTS
* Defibtech
* Football Play Card
* HSS: Hospital for Special Surgery
* HomeTeam Network
* Oakley
* Riddell
* Under Armour

## International recognition

[edit]

In May 2017, after a split that created rival groupings of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), an IFAF grouping based in Paris stripped its recognition of USA Football,[23] citing disputes over anti-doping enforcement, and recognized the United States Federation of American Football (USFAF) as the governing body of American football in the United States.[24] USFAF organized a collegiate team to participate in the 2017 World Games, in which it won a bronze medal. The grouping of the IFAF based in New York continued to recognize USA Football,[25] and organized the 2017 Women's World Championships, which the American team won.[26]

In March 2018, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) determined that the IFAF entity in New York was the proper governing entity and voided all decisions of the IFAF entity in Paris, including their decision to strip USA Football of its recognition.[27] USA Football is currently the internationally recognized governing body for American football in the United States.[28]

USA Football has worked closely with IFAF and other IFAF Member Federations to improve the sport’s accessibility, quality and competitiveness abroad. USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck has served as a board member, Treasurer and Vice President of IFAF. He first joined IFAF’s leadership as a member of their board in 2006 and has served as Treasurer and Vice President for multiple terms each. He most recently held the title of Vice President from 2021-24. USA Football Managing Director, High Performance and National Teams, Eric Mayes was elected at the end of 2024 to serve as IFAF’s General Secretary.[29]

## See also

[edit]

* American football portal

* List of leagues of American and Canadian football

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "USA Football named national governing body by USOPC ahead of flag football's Olympic debut in 2028". AP News. 2025-04-17. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
2. ^ "USA FOOTBALL BECOMES FORMALLY CERTIFIED AS FOOTBALL'S NATIONAL GOVERNING BODY BY USOPC". www.usopc.org. 2025-04-17. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
3. ^ "Tyreek Hill, other NFL players could play flag football in 2028 Olympics". NFL.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
4. ^ "IFAF Member Federations". International Federation of American Football.
5. ^ "About USA Football | Development | Values | Participation | Safety". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
6. ^ Alic, Steve. "USA Football joins U.S. Olympic Committee as a recognized sports organization". blogs.usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
7. ^ "Training Center for Team USA Olympic Athletes & US National Teams". 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
8. ^ "U.S. National Team | USA Football". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
9. ^ "National Team Development Program". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
10. ^ "USA Football Expands National Team Development Program To Grow Elite Flag Football Competition | USA Football". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
11. ^ a b c d "Roll of Honour". International Federation of American Football. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
12. ^ Bredahl, Cole. "A look at the 40 U.S. National Team alums who've been selected in the NFL Draft". blogs.usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
13. ^ "USA Football's U.S. Men's & Women's Flag National Teams Win 2024 Ifaf Flag Football World Championships | USA Football". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
14. ^ "USA Football Set To Release Documentary "champions Rising" Highlighting U.S. Flag Football National Team's Quest for Gold | USA Football". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
15. ^ "American Football | IWGA". www.theworldgames.org. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
16. ^ "Tackle & Flag Football Coach Certification & License | USA Football". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
17. ^ "NFL celebrates USA Football Month with launch of USA Football's Heads Up Football initiative". NFL.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
18. ^ "USA Football Launches Enhanced, Nationally Accredited Youth Coach Certification Benefiting Young Players | USA Football". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
19. ^ "USA Football Awards $350,000 in Fall Grants To Support Youth Football Organizations | USA Football". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
20. ^ "Pals of South Florida Hosts 2025 Girls Flag Football League Championship Weekend, March 29 in Boynton Beach | USA Football". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
21. ^ Samuel Teets (February 15, 2022). "GENERAL PETER W. CHIARELLI, U.S. ARMY (RET.) APPOINTED TO CHAIRMAN OF USA FOOTBALL". USA Football. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
22. ^ "Board of Directors | USA Football". usafootball.com. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
23. ^ "Football". 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
24. ^ "IFAF Accepts USFAF as Provisional Member from USA - IFAF". Archived from the original on 2017-05-16.
25. ^ "IFAF - Articles - View - 1654". Archived from the original on 2017-07-26.
26. ^ "IFAF - Articles - View - 1659". Archived from the original on 2017-07-26.
27. ^ "Court of Arbitration rules against IFAF Paris, affirms Tommy Wiking resigned as President". 28 September 2017. Archived from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
28. ^ "Nations: Americas | NATIONS | International American Football". Archived from the original on 2018-05-02.
29. ^ Preston, Michael (2024-12-21). "Board Mayes". International Federation of American Football. Retrieved 2025-04-02.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

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