Gateway Games 2024: Flag Football Set to Electrify National Sports Festival in Abeokuta

…Showtime x NAFA Prepare to Showcase the Future

In what promises to be a defining moment for one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing sports, Flag Football is set to take the spotlight as a demonstration sport at the 22nd National Sports Festival, holding in Abeokuta, Ogun State, from May 26–27, 2025.

The two-day event, now scheduled to take place at African Church Grammar School, North, Abeokuta, will feature a showcase like never before, driven by the vision and collaboration of Showtime Flag Football and the Nigeria American Football Association (NAFA).

This historic inclusion was made possible by the National Sports Commission, under the fatherly leadership of Mallam Shehu Dikko (Chairman) and Hon. Bukola Olopade (Director-General), whose timely support ensured that Flag Football didn’t just survive, but is now thriving. Their intervention brought stakeholders together, resolved critical issues, and guaranteed Flag Football a rightful place on the national sports stage.

Eight state teams — Ogun, Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, Ondo, and Cross Rivers — will compete across two action-packed days, with quarterfinals and semifinals scheduled for Day 1, and youth showcases, third-place, and final matches on Day 2.

The event will also feature arrival and accreditation, welcome remarks, and a basic introduction to Flag Football, offering athletes and administrators a deeper understanding of the sport’s structure, rules, and potential for growth.

Flag Football is no longer knocking on the door — it’s charging through with speed, skill, and purpose. The journey to national recognition begins here in Abeokuta.

Be there. Witness the next big thing in Nigerian sports.