ORLANDO, Fla. (July 30, 2026) – TMRW Sports has named Champ Kelly as senior vice president, flag football operations, for the new women’s and men’s professional flag football league being created in partnership with the National Football League. Kelly joins TMRW Sports after 19 seasons in NFL front offices, most recently serving as interim general manager and senior personnel executive for the Miami Dolphins and previously as interim general manager for the Las Vegas Raiders.

As part of this new pro flag football league, Kelly will oversee all league operations, including competition, player personnel, coaching, officiating and team administration. In this newly created role, Kelly will report directly to Brendan Donohue, president, flag football, TMRW Sports, and will be based in TMRW Sports’ headquarters in Orlando. Excel Search & Advisory was retained by TMRW Sports to lead the search for this role.

“Champ is the ideal person to lead our flag football operations as we launch a new pro flag football league for the world’s best women and men athletes. His nearly two decades of experience in NFL player personnel, including serving as general manager for two NFL franchises, will provide invaluable expertise as we build a world-class organization,” said Donohue. “His passion for this role has been fueled, in part, as the father of three daughters and the opportunity to help create a league that opens new pathways for women and men."

“Flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, and launching its professional tier on the eve of its Olympic debut is an exciting moment in the sport’s evolution,” said Kelly. “My roots are in the NFL, and I’m genuinely blessed that the league is partnering with TMRW Sports on this innovative new league. As a former football player, I understand what it means to compete with the support of a world-class organization behind you, and nearly 20 years in NFL front offices have given me the leadership, relationships and experience to help build that environment for elite flag football athletes from around the globe."

Kelly joins TMRW Sports after serving as senior personnel executive for the Miami Dolphins during the 2025 season, where he assisted General Manager Chris Grier in evaluating professional and college talent. He was named interim general manager midway through the season, becoming one of only a few executives in NFL history to serve as interim general manager for two different franchises after previously holding the role with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023. Before joining the Dolphins, Kelly spent three seasons as assistant general manager of the Raiders following seven years with the Chicago Bears in senior personnel roles. He began his NFL career with the Denver Broncos, where he spent eight seasons and helped build teams that reached the playoffs in four consecutive seasons, won the AFC Championship following the 2013 season and laid the foundation for the franchise's Super Bowl 50 championship.

Before entering the NFL, Kelly served as general manager and wide receivers coach of the Lexington Horsemen of United Indoor Football while also working as an NFLPA-certified contract advisor. A former wide receiver and defensive back at the University of Kentucky, he continued his playing career with the Horsemen, earning first-team United Indoor Football All-Star honors twice. Kelly and his wife, Stephanie, founded Heart Power, a nonprofit organization that has hosted youth programs in multiple states since 2010. They have three daughters: Claire Alaina, Chloe Grace and Caroline Elise and currently live in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

TMRW Sports and the NFL are launching the professional flag football league prior to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Fans will experience the league’s fast-paced, elite-level competition and tech-forward presentation. Ultimately, professional flag football aims to deliver data-driven storytelling and technology that immerses audiences in the sport’s speed, agility and athleticism. Adding this pro-level tier will play an important role within flag football's broader global pathway, capping a growing youth, high school, collegiate, international and Olympic ecosystem with the opportunity to compete professionally for women and men.

The league has support from a broad and influential investor pool, including all 32 NFL club owners, established institutional and strategic investors, and current and former NFL players, reflecting confidence in the sport's long-term growth potential and increasing global relevance.

TMRW Sports has formed a strategic partnership with the International Federation of American Football, the international governing body for American football and the IOC-recognized federation responsible for flag football competitions in the Olympic Games. This partnership is designed to further accelerate the growth, visibility and accessibility of flag football around the world, including supporting the 2026 IFAF World Championship in Düsseldorf, Germany, the first qualifying event for the Olympic Games.

More than 20 million people currently play the sport around the world, with participation continuing to grow across all levels. Approximately 4.1 million youth play flag football in the U.S. alone – more than a 50% increase since 2020. Flag football is now offered at the high school level in 40 states, with the number of young women playing on their high school teams increasing by nearly 60% from 2024 to 2025. In addition, more than 250 colleges and universities across the country now offer women’s flag football programming. The NCAA recently approved flag football as part of the Emerging Sports for Women program and voted at its spring meeting to recommend that Divisions I, II and III add a National Collegiate Flag Football Championship as early as spring 2028.