EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Suaalii among recruitment targets of flag football chiefs as ambitious Olympic bid heats up

Joseph Suaalii and Maddison Levi have been pinpointed by flag football chiefs as prime recruitment targets as the sport's leaders lobby for it to remain in the Olympics beyond the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

American Football Australia (AFA) chief executive Wade Kelly is among the heavy hitters on the Gold Coast this week pushing for flag football, the non-contact version of gridiron, to remain an Olympic sport for Brisbane 2032.

Former Wallabies superstar Quade Cooper recently made the switch from rugby to flag football in a bid to represent Australia in the gridiron-oztag hybrid at the LA Olympics, where the sport will be making its Olympic debut.

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Kelly said he could think of 300 athletes from a wide range of Australian codes who'd make for brilliant flag footballers, including gun Wallaby Suaalii and rugby sevens ace Levi.

"When you look at the skills required for flag football, so you say get down field, get separation, catch a ball above your head, or get the ball earlier and make people miss, and then conversely on the other side, you've got to close down that space in a 360-[degree] game, it lends itself for our super netballers or our AFL or AFLW players, and obviously, Oztag, rugby league and rugby union always produce fantastic athletes," Kelly told Wide World of Sports.

"I think Joseph Suaalii would be a fantastic athlete across multiple sports, and I think in flag he would be one of the world's best players. It wouldn't take him too long to reach that level of understanding.

"Maddison Levi from rugby sevens [is another one]. She's brilliantly athletic, is great under pressure, and catching balls is second nature to her, and performing under pressure she would be fantastic with as well."

At the end of the 2024 NRL season, Suaalii departed the Sydney Roosters to take up a three-year Rugby Australia contract worth a reported $5.3 million.

The 21-year-old is contracted to Rugby Australia until the end of 2027, meaning a potential switch to flag football in time for the LA 2028 Olympics is feasible, although there's a clause in his contract that could extend his stay with the Waratahs and Wallabies until the end of 2029, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Levi is contracted to Rugby Australia until the end of 2026, as is her superstar sister Teagan.

Four years after lighting up Paris on the rugby sevens pitch, they could be running around in LA as flag footballers.

"At the moment those guys are heavily entrenched in their own sports and at the peak of their powers," Kelly said.

"Does that change in 18 months', two years', three years' time as we build towards LA? Who knows?

"There'll be a bit of both; there'll be targeted recruitment and there's also those who will reach out.

"Quade is a great example [of an athlete suited to flag football] because of his high agility and great vision, and he plays well under pressure and is in supreme and fantastic condition to be able to play the game.

"I think you could pick out 300 that you would say, 'These guys would be perfect flag players', because the skills are just so transferrable."

Flag football is among a host of sports lobbying to be included in Brisbane 2032, as are sports such as touch football, surf life saving and breaking.

Kelly said flag football's ties to the NFL bolstered its Olympic credentials.

"The NFL marketing machine and brand and power and lure and fandom it has will drive a lot of that fandom and commercial success to LA 2028, and I think that would be a really positive thing for Queensland and Brisbane 2032," Kelly said.

"That impact and the brand of the NFL through flag football would be pretty phenomenal for Brisbane."