Keiser flag football team members Kennedy Foster and Ashlea Klam helped the U.S. Women's Flag Football National Team successfully defended their crown at the 2024 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Flag Football World Championships on Friday, August 30.
 
The U.S. National Team entered the World Championships in Lahti, Finland as the top ranked team in IFAF's world rankings. The U.S. Women's Flag National Team defeated Mexico 31-18 in the gold medal match. The championship game was played in Lahti Stadium and was broadcast on the Olympic Channel and IFAF.TV.
 
The women's teams went undefeated at 8-0 across four days of competition that featured 23 women's national teams from six continents battling for gold. The competition was the largest ever held by IFAF. Images from the gold medal game are available here, courtesy of Lester Barnes/USA Football.
 
USA Football, the sport's governing body and a recognized sports organization of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), selects and leads the U.S. National Teams in world class competition, including international events like IFAF World Championships, the World Games and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
 
USA Football assembled a U.S. National Team Media Guide earlier this summer with background information, anecdotes and quotes from U.S. National Team athletes and coaches.
 
"It's 'we, not me.' I couldn't do this without my girls, our coaches and this organization. To be here and get a three-peat feels amazing," said U.S. Women's National Team quarterback and three-time World Champion Vanita Krouch. "This job is done, but the job for the future is not done. We are still preparing for tomorrow, but we are going to enjoy today and celebrate. Today's business trip is done, and we will worry about the next project after this."
 
Flag football's popularity is exploding in the U.S. and abroad in the wake of the Olympic announcement. Twelve states sanction flag football as a high school varsity sport for girls, including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New York and Tennessee. More than a dozen states support pilot programs.
 
Women's flag football provides pathways to scholarships and an opportunity to compete for a national championship at National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) member universities. Three members of the U.S. Women's Flag National Team compete at the collegiate level.
 
According to the NFL, 20 million people across 100 countries, including the 75 members of IFAF, play flag football. Approximately 660 athletes participated in the IFAF Flag World Championships. Last year, IFAF held continental championships across the world in its largest cycle of global flag football competition.  
 
USA Football helps foster the sport's international growth by hosting the Junior International Cup annually, providing pathways for athletes in the 15U and 17U age divisions to compete at the highest level. This year's Junior International Cup took place in Los Angeles, where flag football makes its Olympic debut in 2028.
 
 
2024 U.S. Women's Flag National Team Roster 
 
Name                   Position      Hometown         Residence 
Deliah Autry                        WR/DB          Tampa, Fla.                 Tampa, Fla. 
Laneah Bryan                     WR/DB           El Paso, Texas           El Paso, Texas 
Amber Clark                        DB/WR          Greenville, N.C.          Kansas City, Mo. 
Ashley Edwards                  WR/DB          San Antonio, Texas     San Antonio, Texas 
Kennedy Foster                  WR/DB           Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Lake Park, Fla. 
Madison Fulford                  WR/DB          Charlotte, N.C.             Austin, Texas 
Isabella "Izzy" Geraci          WR/DB          North Ridgeville, Ohio  Charlotte, N.C. 
Maci Joncich                       WR/DB           Henderson, Nev.         Henderson, Nev. 
Ashlea Klam                        C/DB              Austin, Texas               Palm Beach, Fla. 
Vanita Krouch                      QB                 Carrollton, Texas          Carrollton, Texas
Megan Majors                     DB/WR           Chicago, Ill.                  Chicago, Ill. 
Addison "Addie" Orsborn    WR/RSH         Round Rock, Texas     Round Rock, Texas 
 
Head Coach: Saaid Mortazavi
Assistant Coach: Mary Kate Bula
 
2024 U.S. Women's Flag National Team Games
 
U.S. vs. Sweden: 40-6
U.S. vs. Australia: 48-6
U.S. vs. France: 37-6
U.S. vs. Ireland: 59-6
U.S. vs. Finland: 61-0 (Round of 16)
U.S. vs. Spain: 18-14 (Quarterfinal)
U.S. vs. Austria: 41-24 (Semifinal)
U.S. vs. Mexico: 31-18 (Final)
 
About USA Football: USA Football is the governing body of American football in the United States, the sole U.S. member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the U.S. 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 U.S. National Teams in federation-sanctioned international competition.

 

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