Jets & Palace For Life Host Finale of NFL Girls Flag League
By Simon Carroll
The New York Jets and Palace for Life, the official charity of Crystal Palace Football Club, have partnered to host the Championship Day of the 2026 Jets NFL Girls Flag league in London
Held at the Crystal Palace FC Academy in South London, the all-day event followed 10 weeks of league fixtures and brought the initiative’s fourth year to a close. Kingston Academy emerged victorious, claiming the title with an 20-18 victory over Grey Court School in the final. Individual accolades were also awarded to recognise outstanding performances, with Ella Fallahi Alvani from Kingston Academy awarded Offensive MVP and Olivia Green from Grey Court School awarded Defensive MVP.
“Congratulations to Kingston Academy on winning the Jets UK Girls’ Flag League Championship,” said New York Jets Chairman and Partner and Director of Crystal Palace Football Club Woody Johnson. “Hosting the championship tournament at Crystal Palace FC Academy was a big deal, and a proud extension of what we have built with our U.S. girls’ flag program. To see it take root and flourish in the U.K. has been remarkable. We’re committed to making sure it keeps growing.”
As part of the new partnership with Palace for Life, the Jets will expand the league in South London in 2027. Palace for Life will identify schools with which they have current relationships to join the league. Each will receive Jets NFL Girls Flag league uniforms, practice jerseys and flag equipment, in addition to travel stipends for games. The Jets also hope to bring kick-off and championships to the Crystal Palace FC Academy moving forward.
Championship Day also saw the official unveiling of the first-ever roster for the Jets Flag Elite London, a new all-girls Flag football travel team which will feature top players from the London league. Led by Jay Taylor of the Fruit Bats flag football team, and launched during the league’s kick-off in March, it will provide elite-level skill development and an exciting new pathway for girls participating in flag football across London.
“The Jets NFL Girls Flag League in London is creating real opportunity for young women to play flag football in London,” said Jesse Linder, Vice President, Community Relations for the New York Jets. “Through our new partnership with Palace for Life, we’re excited to expand the program in South London and continue growing the pathway from school participation to elite competition with Jets Flag Elite London.”
“At Palace for Life, we use the power of sport to transform the lives of young people across South London,” said Palace for Life CEO Mike Summers. “We’re proud to partner with the New York Jets to bring flag football to Crystal Palace, creating new opportunities for girls from our partner schools to access and enjoy sport in a fun, inclusive and competitive environment.”
Congrats to Kingston Academy, winners of the Jets NFL London Girls Flag League 2026! 🏆
— New York Jets UK & IE (@NYJetsinUKandIE) May 11, 2026
A huge thanks to all of the girls who took part today, and to our incredible hosts @PalaceForLife 🙌 pic.twitter.com/vkriq3O9yl
The Jets NFL Girls Flag league in London has seen a continuous year-on-year growth, with over 300 girls (aged 12-15) from 32 secondary schools taking part in 2026. The initiative is of huge importance to the Jets, with the organisation’s collective investment in Girls Flag football activities in London and Dublin now surpassing $1 million.
The initiative aims to increase girls’ access to and participation in sports across London through NFL Flag. With a fun, exciting, and accessible format, it helps participants build lifelong psychological skills in strategy, communication, and resilience as they work together to plan and execute winning plays.
Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, with over 20 million players across 100 countries, where women and girls are driving the fastest growth. The sport will officially be included in the LA 2028 Olympic Games programme, led by the efforts of the International Federation of American Football and supported by the NFL. BAFA (British American Football Association) is looking forward to working with the NFL to grow Flag Football in the U.K.
U.K. fans can stay updated on the latest news about the New York Jets and hear about their upcoming activities by visiting www.nyjetsinternational.com. Follow them on social platforms, @NYJetsinUKandIE on X and @newyorkjetsinuk on Instagram for more information.
The New York Jets & Flag Football
The Jets support for Girls Flag Football began in 2011 with the launch of a league with the PSAL in New York City, becoming the first NFL Club to help launch Girls Flag Football at the varsity level. A decade later, in 2021, the Jets and Nike launched the first High School Girls Flag Football League in New Jersey. Launched with the intention of providing girls an equitable opportunity to play football compared to their male counterpart, the long-term goal of the Jets support was to have the sport adopted as an official high school statewide championship sport, which officially came to fruition last spring in New York and is imminent for New Jersey. In 2023, the Jets launched the first-ever NFL supported girls flag football league in the UK.
The league started with 12 teams and has since expanded to 32 for the upcoming Spring season throughout the greater London area. Since 2011, the Jets have committed over $3.5 million to support Girls Flag and create opportunities for girls in football. In total, the Jets will support over 250 Girls Flag Football programs, both domestically and internationally, and over 7,000 participants in 2025.
Palace For Life
Kicking off our partnership with @NYJetsinUKandIE by crowning the champions of the Jets NFL Girls Flag league at the @CPFC Academy 🔥
— Palace for Life (@PalaceForLife) May 13, 2026
Proud to support the long-term participation of girls in sport & showcase the rapidly growing game of flag football 🏈 pic.twitter.com/X1J5awoaMA
Palace for Life is the official charity of Crystal Palace Football Club and has worked across South London for over 30 years. We use the power and pull of Crystal Palace F.C. to improve lives and strengthen communities, focusing on young people who need us most.
Each year, our coaches and mentors support more than 18,000 young people through education, employability, mentoring and physical activity programmes. We focus on areas of deprivation, delivering free sport and community sessions alongside pastoral support that builds confidence, resilience and essential life skills.
We provide specialist one-to-one mentoring for those facing mental health challenges, and for young people in or at risk of entering the justice system and our employability programmes create clear pathways into education, training and work.
Through our programmes in and outside of football, we aim to strengthen ties between the club and its community, help grow its supporter base and offer talented footballers a path to the Crystal Palace boys’ or girls’ academies.
Palace for Life is a registered charity (No. 1125878)
SIMON CARROLL
Lead Writer, Head of Content
PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.