Australian NFL player comes home to convince kids to switch codes

ABC NEWS (Australia)

America's National Football League is moving in on rugby league heartland in Southeast Queensland. And it's using local rising talent to help bring more kids into the sport.

Transcript

00:00It's always good to come home, even when you're a newly minted NFL star.

00:07My main goal is to give back to the community. That's what I want to do. That's my main goal.

00:1221-year-old Lucky Tassie grew up in the Ipswich suburb of Gudner.

00:16Next week he'll begin training with the Las Vegas Raiders after being drafted through an international program.

00:23This game means so much to me.

00:25Now he's trying to get other kids from Ipswich to follow in his footsteps.

00:29One, two, three, Raiders!

00:31Hundreds gathered for a special training session with Lucky and other Raiders staff.

00:36They were playing flag football, a variant of NFL with fewer players and contact.

00:42It's pretty fun playing with other kids, friends, families.

00:46It's very surprising. I never knew I could have this chance.

00:49It's part of a wider push to expand the sport in Australia.

00:53Our goal is to continue to bring the sport of football, of American football, to all different countries around the world.

01:01Flag football is set to be an Olympic sport for the first time in Los Angeles in 2028.

01:07NFL officials are hopeful events like this one today will encourage Brisbane 2032 organizers to keep the sport on that global stage.

01:17For Lucky, he's already dreaming of his first Super Bowl win and potentially playing in a hometown Olympics.

01:24Sign me up, man. Yeah.

01:26Nah, I'll definitely be, I'll be excited.

01:28I'll be excited.

Category

Transcript

Recommended