Northampton pupils to represent UK in NFL flag football competition

The flag football team from Lings Primary will travel to Orlando in February

Primary school pupils will represent the UK in an NFL flag football competition in Florida.

Lings Primary School in Northampton will travel to Orlando to play a non-contact version of American football in the 2024 Pro Bowl in February.

They have a spot after they won the national finals at Tottenham Hotspur's stadium in June.

Thomas Davies, PE teacher, said the sport was "creating opportunities for children".

"We get to represent our country, which for a lot of children is a life dream, very few people get to do it," he said.

Lings Primary School is one of 500 primary and secondary schools participating in the NFL Flag Championship.

The students, representing the UK, will first face off against opponents from international teams including Brazil, Japan and Australia.

Mr Davies said his team had worked hard to prepare and added: "From September all the way until now they gave up every break, every lunchtime."

Thomas was inspired to coach flag football as a fan of American football

The head coach said he was an admirer of American football and admitted he was a "huge New England Patriots fan [and] have been all my life".

During lockdown in 2020, he was presented with an opportunity to get a coaching qualification in flag football.

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After he passed, he said the students at Lings Primary became dedicated fans - and claimed it was the most popular sport at the school.

He said: "I didn't know how it was going to kick off... I can't be more proud of them."

Alice said "all the opportunities going to the competitions has been great."

Alice was part of the winning team in the National Primary Schools Championship last year, which earned the Northampton pupils a spot in the US tournament.

Although she is now 12, she has been allowed to play with her primary school team and hoped to play the sport professionally one day.

The sport is known for having complex rules, which she enjoys.

"All the technical sides, it means each game is going to be different," she said.

Alice is excited to head to America, but admitted it felt like a dream.

"When we get on that plane it's going to finally hit... I still don't think it's real," she added.