RCX Sports, the official operating partner of NFL Flag, inked a new partnership with NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation.
The collaboration, aimed at increasing flag football participation, programming and training across college campuses in the intramural and club sports arenas, is intended to help NIRSA enhance its regional and national flag football tournaments, as well as train officials.
Since its founding in 1950, NIRSA membership grew to more than 4,000 professionals, students and associates who work with “nearly ten million students each year” through club and recreational sports. RCX and NIRSA aim to enhance the club and intramural flag football experience at more than 900 schools across North America.
“NIRSA is excited to integrate the experiences and enthusiasm that make our Flag Football programs and NIRSA Championship Series tournaments so popular and prestigious among hundreds of collegiate teams across North America to growing the flag football ecosystem through this new partnership with RCX Sports and NFL FLAG,” said NIRSA Executive Director, Pam Watts, CAE. “Our tournaments are more than just competition. Developing tournament staff and fostering a pipeline of high-quality officials are critical investments for our tournament experiences.”
According to the organizations, flag football “has become one the fastest-growing youth sports in the country with more than 585,000 participants in 2022.”
“Not only is flag football growing rapidly across in the youth sports arena, but this collaboration also gives college students who want to continue their football playing careers past high school a chance to get back on the field,” said Troy Vincent, executive vice president of football operations for the NFL. “Flag football is poised for even greater expansion as the cornerstone of the NFL’s domestic and international participation and development strategies.”
