The cross : How is American football doing in France?
Brigitte Schleifer: The health crisis has hurt us. Today, we have more than 10,000 American football licensees in approximately 200 clubs in France. We have experienced a major drop due to the Covid but, little by little, we are regaining a good trend. The season has just started, so we hope to take back all the graduates, around 15,000.
Since American football is not enough to sustain the federation, we offer derivative forms: “flag football”, where tackles are replaced by tearing off strips of fabric attached to the belt. This sport is practiced by both boys and girls, and the teams can be mixed.
And also “cheerleading”, an activity during which participants encourage the sports team they support with various interventions ranging from a simple slogan to a very physical choreography. It is a whole universe around American football that we offer and which is attracting more and more families.
What are you doing to raise awareness of your sport and make it more popular?
B. S. : Our disciplines are full of opportunities and it is important for us to tell the history and culture of these sports and to introduce them to as many people as possible in France, so we try to communicate a lot with the general public. American football itself can only be played from the age of 16 due to the risks associated with concussions. “Flag football”, which is the “non-contact” version, makes this discipline known from an early age, and therefore makes it more popular.
In terms of visibility, the retransmission, in recent years, of a few American football matches on French television has enabled us to find a place for ourselves in the sports landscape. And every year, we are pleased to see the great audiences in France for the Super Bowl and all the communication that goes around it. It can only be beneficial for us. We see it during certain sporting events such as a Rugby World Cup: in the months that follow, many young people join the clubs. The same can be imagined for events related to American football.
What are the remaining obstacles to the growth of this discipline in France?
B. S. : The biggest issue is the number of players needed to build a full team. To hold a sports season properly, you need 25 to 30 players per team. It is not easy, for a sport that is not very popular compared to football or rugby, to have enough licensees.
There is a real interest in the discipline, but the equipment which represents a certain cost for families is obviously a real obstacle. The same goes for infrastructure. The country is full of football fields but there are very few American football fields. It depends on the goodwill of the communities and we negotiate throughout the year with them.
Finally, the image of American football in itself can be a brake. Some consider it a violent sport. But in reality, we have a very specific protocol for concussions, and there are risks in all contact sports. The image of American football that is conveyed by television sometimes does us harm. However, we are very strict about these health-related issues. We insist a lot on the training of coaches so that they are the first actors of vigilance. During our matches, we always have mandatory backup teams, all of this is very supervised.