Jesús Álvarez: “Spain can be at the level of Mexico in Flag in a few years”

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The NFL held this Saturday in Madrid the long-awaited NFL Flag National Tournament Spain 2024, an exciting mixed under-12 category flag football competition in which eight teams from different parts of Spain participated -Madrid (Coslada, Fuenlabrada and Rivas), Catalonia ( Badalona, ​​Terrassa and Ullastrell), Valencia (Valencia) and Castilla y León (Ávila) -. It was a unique opportunity to show emerging national talent in a sport that will be Olympic in Los Angeles 2028. Jesús Álvarez,

Responsible for LATAM and Spain NFL Flag, attended Mundo MARCA this Saturday after an event that caused a sensation.

How did such a special day in Madrid go?

We are happy with everything we have experienced this Saturday in Madrid. It is incredible to see so much enthusiasm and so much love for Flag Football, which is a new sport in Spain but has a lot of potential to grow.

How has the discipline evolved?

The program began in Mexico in 2020. We started with 10 schools and 10 teams. After 24 years, last year we closed almost 7,000 schools and 2.8 million boys and girls playing in class and with 7,500 teams participating in different teams participating in different categories. The growth is enormous and we think it is a model that can be implemented in Spain. Maybe in the future we can adapt it to Spain.

Why do you think you can succeed in Spain?

For two reasons. The first is that Spain has shown that it has potential when we saw a women’s team representing Spain in the first European championship. And they were champions despite losing the first game. Children want to play and have fun. To the extent that we put an American football in their hands, they can consider it fun so that children have one more option to combat a sedentary lifestyle. It is proven that they love the flag here.

What are the characteristics that stand out the most about this sport?

I think another great feature is gender equality. In this tournament they are mixed teams. Additionally, we love promoting gender equality. We want there to be at least two girls on the roster and for at least one to be playing. But we would love to have more or for it to be completely feminine. This value, that of gender equality, is one of the values ​​that we highlight.

The date of the 2028 Los Angeles Games helps a lot.

It is something that has helped a lot to continue growing interest in the flag worldwide. It has aroused, in a good way, the interest of many countries. Spain is not disappointment. They will have a great process and will have a good role in this sport.

How have you experienced this Saturday’s day?

For us it has been a success. See these eight teams from different cities in Madrid competing and getting excited. There have been many families, friends… that is very important for us. The balance has been very positive. We leave happy, excited and eager to return to do more things.

What goals do you have ahead of you?

There are many challenges ahead. On a personal level, I am grateful to the NFL for giving me the opportunity to expand my experience to other countries. And I have the challenge of Spain being at the same level as Mexico or higher in a few years. We want to understand the markets, because they are different, to learn how they work. What we want is to continue growing. Hopefully other municipalities around the country will join in as they have done in other schools.

Who are the most powerful countries right now?

The powers are the United States or Mexico, which have shown a great level in some competitions. Also Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria… there are many countries that are doing things well. But many are improving, including Spain.

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