Great Britain has announced the travelling squads to compete at the IFAF Youth European Championships in Serbia at the start of September.
The Balkan nation will welcome national teams from across the continent to Belgrade in the U17 boys’, U17 girls’ and U15 mixed categories.
Images and graphics: Andy Keith
Head Coach of GB Youth flag Kenny Bello said “Final selections were very difficult for us as coaches because of the amazing talent pool in this country that continues to grow. Quite a large number of players just missed out, which shows the high quality of players coming through the programme. The future is incredibly bright and I’m am sure you will join us in throwing the full weight of your support behind these young athletes.”
In just four short years, Flag Football will feature on the official programme of the Olympic Games for the first time in history at the Los Angeles Games in 2028 and the tournament will shine a light on many of the young athletes who have the potential to make it into national squads.
The breath of quality in Europe is strong as demonstrated in last year’s tournament in Italy. Great Britain are one of three defending champions to feature – having enjoyed a 19-6 victory over Italy, while Israel took the U17 boys title with a 34-13 win over Serbia. In the U15 mixed competition, which – in 2023 – featured athletes of both genders for the first time, Italy came out on top, beating Czechia 27-20 in the final.
IFAF Director for Europe Gregor Murth said: “Europe has the highest number of nations competing for a continental championship, so youth development plays a pivotal role in the future success of teams in our tournaments.”
