Drew Brees partners to expand flag football leagues nationwide

Flag football is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States, and NFL Legends continues to support its growth through a key partnership announced Tuesday.

New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees and his Football & America (FNA) Youth Flag Football League have partnered with Unrivaled Sports, the national leader in youth sports experiences, to continue elevating the game that Brees credits with contributing to his soccer foundation.

Brees and Chris Stewart founded FNA in 2017 with the goal of making flag football fun, competitive and community-driven for boys and girls of all ages and skill sets.

For more sports coverage on FOXBUSINESS.COM, CLICK HERE

“I’m really excited” about the partnership with Unrivaled Sports, he told FOX Business by phone. “When we set out on this in 2017 and founded FNA, it was the idea to really create a gold standard in flag football. I had three little boys who were interested in the sport. I played flag football until ninth grade. In fact, the first time I put on pads was in ninth grade. A lot of people don’t know that. I really credit a lot of my growth as a quarterback to understanding passing schemes and everything from flag football.”

“So, I came up with it from not just someone who played the game, but someone who has kids who want to play. Also, I’ve coached all my kids, including my friends, all the way to being high school football players. So, to see it come full circle.”

Broncos’ Sean Payton talks about opportunity to coach Tom Brady in international flag football tournament

Unrivaled Flag has the same ambitions as FNA and is ready to leverage its vast resources to support the league’s expansion nationally through new operators and communities, as well as connect the league to Unrivaled Flag’s programs such as the High School Girls Nationals, Gold Jacket Classic, and Youth Flag World Championships. ”

“As the flag continues to grow and become more popular with boys and girls across America, we are proud to work with Drew and the FNA team to create a great athlete experience and define the standard for the sport,” Jim Reynolds, CEO of Unrivaled Flag, said in a statement. “We are inspired by the momentum surrounding flag football as it heads to the world stage in 2028, and are proud to help lead the way in the youth sector.”

As Reynolds mentioned, flag football is set to be an Olympic sport in Los Angeles in 2028, and there’s already been a lot of buzz about what’s expected to be a thrilling part of the Games.

Drew Brees coaches flag football at an FNA event on September 6, 2019. (Football “N” America)

With his experience in the NFL and knowledge of the international game, Brees has witnessed firsthand how much of an impact American football has around the world. But as an analyst for Netflix’s international broadcast of the Christmas Day football game last season, he watched millions of viewers not only watch the game, but ask him and NFL Red Zone host Scott Hanson questions about it.

“The viewership was insane, it was just the reach,” Brees said of the broadcast. “So it was really eye-opening to see how many people around the world are interested in American football.”

As for the game itself, Brees believes flag football is a “gateway sport” that gives kids the opportunity to learn about other sports and so many different things that can be incorporated into daily life.

“In the past, you might say soccer was the first thing kids were taught, but now we see so many kids playing flag football for the first time at age 5, 6, 7, and that’s really their introduction to the sport,” Brees said. “I see a lot of girls doing it as well, which hasn’t happened before. We’re in an era where flag football is becoming a gateway sport for a lot of kids.”

Drew Brees coaches flag football at an FNA event on September 6, 2019. (Football “N” America)

CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO

With a collective determination and drive to continue impacting children and communities across the country, Unrivaled Sports and FNA are ready to work together to impact the future of flag football and youth sports in general.

“Our partnership with Unrivaled only adds fuel to the fire because of Unrivaled’s leadership and access to incredible resources,” Brees said. “They manage great facilities across the country that host some really distinctive events in terms of tournament series throughout the Flag Football League. And they also have some really cool experiential events around flag football, which I think exists in other sports right now but doesn’t exist in flag football yet. We have an opportunity to be a pioneer in that space for many years to come.”

Follow Fox News Digital X sports broadcastplease subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.