USA Football

USA Football and GMTM are offering an opportunity for athletes interested in joining one of the fastest growing games in the world and competing against some of the best international competition. Flag football’s international popularity is skyrocketing as the fast-paced game reaches greater heights.  USA Football is seeking the best athletes to compete for our U.S. Flag Football National Teams. Whether you are new to the game of flag football or have been playing for years, USA Football provides a clear path to the top of your game. USA Football is hosting a Digital Combine on GMTM for Adult and Junior athletes. This is a free opportunity available for athletes from all over the country, ages 12 and up. Athletes from anywhere in the country can participate in this virtual event for a chance to represent the United States. The Digital Combine is a pillar of USA Football’s talent evaluation process and will be open from August 14, 2023 through September 11, 2023. The digital combine includes eight unique activities that will help the U.S. National Team coaches evaluate athletes. Each activity is designed so coaches get to know each athlete individually and see if they have the athleticism and skills to compete with the best flag football players in the world. Should I participate in the Junior or Adult Digital Combine? This year, USA Football is hosting two Digital Combines. One is for Adult athletes and the other is for Junior athletes. Athletes should enter the 2023 Digital Combine based on their age on December 31, 2024.   This means that if you’re an athlete who will be turning 18 at any time in the year 2024, your Competition Age is considered 18, and you should enter the Adult Digital Combine here.   If you’re an athlete who will be 17 or younger on December 31, 2024, you should enter the Junior Digital Combine here.  What is included in the Digital Combine? Both the Junior and Adult Digital Combine include eight activities that athletes need to complete in order to be considered. All activities should be recorded and submitted in landscape mode. The activities include: Athlete Background: Upload a highlight reel or a video of your best play, share details about your athletic journey and answer other background questions so that coaches can get to know you better.   Stick Overhead Squat: Record a video of yourself performing the stick overhead squat from the lateral and front angles. Upload and submit the video. Max. Push-Ups: Record a video performing push-ups in a continuous pace for one minute (60 seconds). You may not take a break until the test is completed. Record and submit the total number of completed push-ups in one minute. Max. Sit Ups: Record a video performing sit ups in a continuous pace for one minute (60 seconds). You may not take a break until the test is completed. Record and submit the total number of completed sit ups in one minute. Standing Broad Jump: Record a video of yourself performing a standing broad jump and landing on both feet. Upload and submit the video and the distance of the furthest jump. Pro Agility/5-10-5 Shuttle Run: Record a video of yourself performing the 5-10-5 Shuttle Run. Upload and submit the video. If you need more details about how to properly complete a 5-10-5 shuttle run, here’s a great resource you can check out.  20 Yard Dash: Record a video of yourself running at the maximum speed for 20 yards. Upload and submit the video and your 20 Yard Dash time. 60-yard Shuttle: Record a video of yourself performing the 60-yard Shuttle Run. Upload and submit the video. If you need more details about how to properly complete a 60-yard shuttle run, you can check out more details in the activity description for Adults and Juniors. How to Participate Participation in the event is free for all athletes, and each activity is created so it can be recorded and performed in any space. Video submissions for each activity can be easily recorded on your phone and uploaded to the corresponding activity. Below, you can find detailed instructions on how to find the event and participate for yourself. Follow the instructions below to learn how to start your submission: Step 1: Log into GMTM or Sign Up to Create a New Profile To get started with your submission, either log into your existing GMTM profile or create a new one. The process is simple and you can get started here. If you have the GMTM app, it’s even easier to find the combine and participate in the activities.  Step 2: Click a Link, Find it in the Activities Tab - or - search for it using the Search Bar on GMTM The easiest way to find the combine is by clicking on a URL anywhere in this article. Once you sign into GMTM though, you can also search for it in the Activities dropdown menu. To access the  Activities Menu, go to the homepage and hover over Activities. The dropdown menu should appear and will display the different types of activities/events on GMTM.  You can also use the Search Bar at the top of the screen from anywhere on GMTM to find the event. Just click on the Search Bar to start searching from any page on GMTM. Then, start typing to find the athlete, event, or organization you are looking for. You can type USA Football into the search bar and then scroll down the page to see various results. You can click on the USA Football Organization page, or you can click into one of the event results to be taken directly to the combine you want to participate in. You may have to select View All Results at the bottom of the menu to find what you are looking for. Step 3: Click the Participate button on each Activity and provide info about yourself or create a video submission Once you find the Digital Combine you’re looking for,  you can click the “Participate” button to view all of the activities you will need to complete. After scrolling through the page, you can start any activity by clicking the “Participate” button next to each Activity. Clicking “Participate” will take you to the Activity page. Once there, you can watch the instructional video at the top of the activity. Some of the activities will ask for a video submission from you.  Step 4: After completing the tasks in each Activity, click Submit After you've watched the video and read the description explaining how to complete the activity, record your submission. To do this, find a place in your backyard, at your school, or at a local field to create your video submission. You can ask a friend to help record your activity using a camera phone or other equipment. For activities that require a timed metric, ask a friend to record the time on a stopwatch - or - measure it while watching the footage played in real-time. Once you've created your video, save it on your phone or in a folder on your computer. Then find the Upload button on the Activity page and attach your video submission. You can also submit videos as YouTube or Hudl links. Once you've attached the correct video and added any other information the Activity asks for, click Submit. Step 5: Share your submission with your network and connect with coaches and other athletes After you've completed each activity and finished your submission, go to your profile to check out the videos you've uploaded. Be sure to share the experience with teammates, coaches and your community. You can copy the link to your profile or a particular video, and post it to your other social media accounts.  Get started today and see if you have what it takes to compete against the best around the world. 

USA Football and GMTM will hold the second U.S. National Team Digital Combine with GMTM to identify elite athletes. The Digital Combine will be open from Aug. 14-Sept. 11. USA Football invites athletes from all sports interested in exploring or deepening their involvement in flag football to participate in the free online event.  Adult and junior athletes who complete the full U.S. National Team Digital Combine through GMTM will be included in the pool of athletes considered for invitations to the 2024 U.S. Flag Football National Team Trials. The Boys’ and Girls’ 15U and 17U National Teams will compete against international opponents in the annual Junior International Cup in 2024. The Men’s and Women’s National Teams will represent the U.S. in the 2024 IFAF Flag Football World Championships, in Lahti, Finland.  Last fall, USA Football received over 600 individual submissions in its inaugural Digital Combine. USA Football extended invitations to the National Team Trials to eight of the athletes who made positive impressions on the coaches who reviewed and evaluated their virtual submissions.  Flag football’s popularity is exploding both domestically and internationally. An annual participation study from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) revealed that 7.1 million people in the U.S. participated in flag football in 2022. The sport is also played by 20 million participants across more than 100 countries. USA Football is hopeful that flag football’s surging popularity will secure the sport a spot in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Athletes without prior experience in flag football are encouraged to participate in the Digital Combine by creating profiles and uploading their virtual submissions through GMTM. Many members of the gold-medal winning 2023 National Teams are talent transfers from other sports. This is the perfect opportunity for athletes to showcase the traits they cultivated across their athletic careers.  The seven unique activities in the Digital Combine do not require a football or a teammate. Activities are designed to be completed by individual athletes and test athletic ability. Each activity is accompanied by a tutorial.  The Digital Combine is split into categories for junior athletes ages 12-16 and adults 17 or older. If an athlete participating in the event turns 18 years old by Dec. 31, 2024, they will be considered ineligible for the 2024 17U National Team and should sign up for the adult category.  Athletes interested in the Digital Combine should download the GMTM app and create profiles. Participants who miss the opening Aug. 14-Sept. 11 combine window will have a second opportunity to complete the free event later this fall. About GMTM: GMTM (pronounced Gametime) is a social network designed to connect athletes, organizations and brands, so that they can maximize their reach and access to opportunities. GMTM believes that all athletes should have access to opportunities regardless of income, geography, or background, at every level of their playing careers. About USA Football: USA Football is the governing body of American football in the United States, the sole US member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Its non-profit mission includes designing and delivering premier educational, development, and competitive programs for American football, including tackle and flag football. USA Football is the only organization that selects and organizes men’s and women’s US National Teams in federation-sanctioned international competition.

Flag football? Not enough like what they play on Sundays? Get that thought out of your head. Flag Football is here - with teams built for every athlete - playing at every skill level around the country. That is how Josiah Johnson, a former Nicholls State DB - who could be trying to play on Sundays - ended up making this one-handed touchdown catch in a flag football game. %FILM-8220296% Whether he knows it or not, USA Football coaches who are in charge of selecting the Men's National Flag Football team might see that. My guess is Josiah will get a nudge to try out for the team. You can actually try out for the Olympic flag football team right here on GMTM. If you didn't know that, you should check out the USA Football Digital Combine right now. Or you can watch more videos Josiah uploaded to the platform this week.