It is billed as a game of ferocious hits and blistering speed, with strategies as technical as in a game of chess. Flag Football is to American Football what Oztag is to rugby league — non-contact — and will have a place in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Its popularity is surging across Australia. Flag captures players Year 9 students Jorja Knobloch and Maddie Simpson from Suncoast Christian College never imagined they would play the American sport. "We heard about it at school and heard they were having tryouts, so we thought we would go and see," Maddie said. "We loved it." "My mum told me that I should trial because why not?" Georgia said. "You've got to be good at switching ways fast, zigzagging and being able to catch the ball." NFL hopes to blitz down under Hundreds of Australian schools are now taking part and it has the US league, the NFL, bullish on the market here. Earlier this year, it was announced the sport would host its first regular season match in Australia at the MCG next year. NFL Australia and New Zealand (NFLAUNZ) general manager Charlotte Offord said the sport's growth had been exponential since its launch three years ago. "It's one of the world's fastest-growing sports, there are over 20 million players across the world now, and it is doubling its numbers in every market we are investing in. "The inclusion in LA28 was a really big moment for the sport and really uplifted the uptake, and we are very ambitious in our quest to try and get Flag Football into Brisbane 2032. Quest to be a top-three sport It is a big punt on Australia if the NFL believes flag can hold its own against the country's most popular sports. For adults, athletics, cycling and swimming dominate, with millions participating across Australia. For under 15s, it would have to match or top the popularity of soccer, basketball, gymnastics and dancing to make it on the podium. But there is a base. Seven estimates 2.6 million people saw part of its NFL Super Bowl broadcast in February, when the Philadelphia Eagles took on the Kansas City Chiefs. In a statement, it said its TV coverage was watched by 892,000, up 11 per cent on the year before. Seven said its coverage of the entire NFL season reached 4.7 million people. Chance of a lifetime The under-15s NFL Flag Football South State Championships were held on Queensland's Sunshine Coast last week, with the winning school Benowa State High to compete at the national championships on the Gold Coast later this month. The winner of that tournament will then fly to Canton in Ohio to compete against schools from around the world — with all expenses paid by the NFL. "Our quest is about how we can grow and globalise this game as we've been investing in international markets for about 20 years now," Ms Offord said. "We can see the potential for this market, and a Melbourne game next year will be the icing on the cake." Dreaming of the end zone That investment is paving the way for Australian athletes who once considered playing in the NFL to be a pipedream. Year 8 Varsity College student Kane Buchanan started playing three years ago and is already turning heads with his throwing ability. He said his dream was to become the first Australian quarterback drafted into the NFL. "Madden [an NFL video game] was a big help. "My first goal is playing high school football, then going onto college division 1, and then going to the NFL."