The NFL and TMRW Sports will launch their new flag football league next summer, and it finally has a name: Premier Flag. The league and the sports media company announced the branding on Monday, and the first season will be played in a purpose-built flag football stadium whose location has not been announced yet.

The timing puts the league well ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will be prominently featured. The NFL sees the sport as a major growth engine. The goal is not only to get people interested in the full-contact version of the game, but to build flag football into a sport worth playing and watching in its own right.

A brand built to look like a pro sport from day one

TMRW Sports, which is also behind the TGL golf league, is running the operation alongside the NFL. Brendan Donohue, president of flag football for TMRW Sports, framed the new name as a statement of intent.

“Flag football is exploding in popularity, and Premier Flag is establishing itself as the destination for the world’s top women and men competing at the highest level of the sport.”

Donohue said the brand represents where the sport is heading: elite, global and accessible. He also pointed to the support structure the league plans to offer athletes, including world-class training, strength and conditioning, nutrition and coaching programs. When the league launches next summer, he said, fans will get to see those athletes perform at their best.

Brian Flinn, NFL senior VP of global flag football, described the league as a new professional opportunity for the world’s best players. He said the NFL and TMRW Sports are building a global platform to showcase top flag football players and engage fans in a premium experience. He also said the league establishes the pinnacle of the sport’s growing global pathway.

Who is backing the league

The league was officially announced earlier this year, and all 32 NFL team owners are invested in it. They are joined by institutional investors and a long list of celebrity names. Silver Lake, Ariel Investments/Project Level, Bessemer Venture Partners, Blue Pool Capital and Dynasty Equity are among the financial backers. On the celebrity side, the roster includes Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Joe Montana and Alex Morgan.

Morgan’s media and content company, TOGETHXR, will handle social content strategy and production for the league. Pivot Brand Group created the Premier Flag name, its positioning and its visual identity. That combination of athletes, owners and brand builders is the clearest sign yet that the NFL wants this to look and feel like a major professional property from the first season.

The media rights question is still open

The biggest unanswered question is where fans will watch. Media rights for the first season are still being discussed. The summer window gives the league an opening, since Major League Baseball is the only significant summertime competition. A possible lockout could also interrupt the next baseball season, which would add another variable to the picture.

That uncertainty is part of what makes the announcement so interesting. A league with 32 owners, a stadium that has not been revealed and a broadcast home still under negotiation is a project with a lot of moving pieces, and each one will shape how the first season looks.

What comes first

Before the summer 2027 launch, fans get an early look during Super Bowl LXI week, when the Premier Flag Showcase is set to offer a first preview of the league’s vision. Flinn tied that showcase directly to the league’s goal of building a global platform. For a sport that the NFL is betting can grow well beyond its current audience, that preview could be the first real signal of what Premier Flag will become.

The stadium location, the broadcast partner and the full season schedule are still to come. Those details will determine whether Premier Flag becomes the new destination for elite flag football, or just the next big name in a crowded sports calendar.