About The Flag Football Association (Singapore)

Our History

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The history of American Football in Singapore dates back to the 1970s, when the Singapore American Community Action Council (SACAC) founded the Singapore American Football League (SAFL) to create an opportunity for children of American expatriates to play organized football in the city-state. The program, targeted at youths aged 13 – 18, continues to this day.

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But for nearly 40 years after the founding of the SAFL, there was no organized group of adults playing American Football in Singapore. This changed in 2007, when a small group of local football enthusiasts connected on an online forum and started a weekly pick-up game on Saturday mornings at “Gotham” – an empty field in front of Parkview Square, where DUO now stands. The group called themselves the Singapore Flag Football Association (SFFA).

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The casual Saturday games grew larger over the next few years, as the soaring international popularity of the NFL combined with an influx of young expatriates from the US and Europe to Singapore in the early 2010s. Many of these new players came with high-school football experience, and a growing number of them with collegiate experience (including some with NCAA Division I backgrounds). As the SFFA grew and became more competitive, our leaders decided to start running 3 to 4 ‘leagues’ per year – 7 to 9 week seasons that featured 4 teams battling to be crowned champion. League play proved to be a hit amongst both Singaporeans and expatriates alike, and the SFFA grew rapidly throughout the 2010s.

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From that original group of 5 players, today’s SFFA boasts a roster of over 100 men and women, ranging in age 13-50+, from nearly every continent on earth. We are as diverse a group as the country we live in, with players from all walks of life, all religions, and all races coming together to share their love for the sport of American Football.

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In 2021, the SFFA was officially incorporated as the Flag Football Association (Singapore) – a registered society in Singapore - in order to expand our reach and deepen our roots in the community. We welcome everyone, of all experience levels, to join us. You’re sure to make a few friends on the field, and we hope you’ll also take a few great memories with you off the field as well.

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Our Game

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In bringing American football to Singapore, we want to give everyone the chance to experience a game that is as close to the professional version as possible. As such, our style of play is different from many other flag football clubs around the world.

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We primarily play an 8v8 format (as opposed to the common 5v5) - with a quarterback, 3 lineman and 4 eligible receivers on offense, and 3 lineman and 5 defensive backs on defense. In our game, lineman must line up at the line of scrimmage and contact blocking is allowed (with certain rules in place to protect our players). 

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The rule book for our 8v8 game can be found here.

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We have players with a wide variety of experience levels in the SFFA - from new players who have never played the sport before to former NCAA Division I players. We feel strongly that it is our responsibility to make flag football accessible to everyone, and we believe that we've created a league that balances competitiveness and fun. We will always welcome anyone who is interested to come out and play!