School's flag footballers to compete for US trip

TL;DR

Woodlands Primary Academy's flag football team won the regional NFL Flag Tournament and will compete in Manchester. Their success could lead to a trip to the US to represent Great Britain.

Key points

Woodlands Primary Academy's flag football team won the regional NFL Flag Tournament
The team will compete in Manchester against top schools
Winning could lead to a trip to the United States
Flag football is a non-contact version of American football
The sport has been part of the school's curriculum for 10 years

Mentioned in this story

BradwellCambridgeManchester

Woodlands Primary AcademyNFL Flag Tournament

A young flag footballer in a NFL competition. He is running with a football in his hands and is wearing a white sports top. He is running across a grass outdoor pitch and there is another player running behind him.

Flag football has been part of the curriculum at Woodlands Primary Academy for the past 10 years [NFL] A primary school's flag football team is on cloud nine after being selected to compete against some of the best **teams** in the country. The **youngsters** from Woodlands Primary Academy in Bradwell, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, won the regional NFL Flag Tournament in Cambridge. Christopher Holmes, a PE instructor at the school, said the sport - **a non contact version of American football** - had been on the curriculum for the past 10 years, but he was keen for more people to take it up so it can continue to grow. "American football is really at its core a team sport," he said. "Every player on the team has a really important role, and without a person doing their job the team will fall apart." Flag football dates back to the 1940s when it was played by US military personnel during World War Two. It is a limited contact sport which involves removing a flag or flag-belt from the ball carrier **to end a down ,** to win possession - instead of tackling players to the ground. It is one of the world's fastest-growing sports and will make its debut at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

A boy wearing green sports kit. He has short dark hair and is standing outside on a grass pitch. He is looking directly at the camera and smiling.

Hugo said the team were motivated and kept their heads high after a pep talk from Coach Holmes [Martin Giles/BBC] One of the players Hugo, said the team was not at its best in the first game in Cambridge on 1 May, but they remained positive and bounced back. "[Mr Holmes] said lots of positive things and how we could play as we usually would," he said. "We are a brilliant team and I knew we could win - we definitely had a chance." Christopher Holmes said the standard at the next stage of the tournament would be "sky high" [Martin Giles/BBC] Coach Holmes, as the children know him, said he was proud of the team and the hard work and determination they had put in all year. "When you consider outside of school none of them has ever played before, they didn't know the rules, they didn't know how to play, the level they have now been able to reach is astonishing," he said. **Thanks to the win in Cambridge,** the team will now travel to Manchester to compete against the best schools in the country. The winners will be out to the United States to represent Great Britain. "We know the standard is going to be sky high with lots of players who play on a regular basis, but we are there to do the best we can," Coach Holmes said. "Ultimately, the experience of going there is a reward in itself." **Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk? Contact us below.** *Follow Norfolk news on* *,* *,* *and* *.*

Q&A

What is flag football and how is it played?

Flag football is a non-contact version of American football where players remove a flag from the ball carrier to end a down instead of tackling.

Which school won the regional NFL Flag Tournament?

Woodlands Primary Academy in Bradwell, Norfolk, won the regional NFL Flag Tournament in Cambridge.

What opportunity does the Woodlands Primary Academy team have after winning the tournament?

After winning the tournament, the team will compete in Manchester, with the chance to travel to the United States to represent Great Britain.

Who is the coach of the Woodlands Primary Academy flag football team?

Christopher Holmes is the PE instructor and coach of the Woodlands Primary Academy flag football team.

School's flag footballers to compete for US trip

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