It may look like a rugby ball flying around Logan Park ground, but members of the American Football Otago club are playing a different kind of game.

Players weren’t letting the wintry weather last Sunday afternoon in Dunedin discourage them from playing flag football.

The square are currently preparing to defend their title at the South Island Championships later this month in Christchurch.

The southern club was founded in 2021 by friends Laurence Arundell and Tom Rance.

Arundell has been president for the past two years and says interest in the club – and the game nationally – is growing.

“We normally get about between 20 to 30 players a season.”

“We’ve gone to the nationals for three years now, and we have seen about 23 teams go to those national events from all around New Zealand. So it has really skyrocketed.”

The game is the non-contact version of the fully-fledged sport of American football, featuring 5 players per side rather than the usual 11.

That means there’s no collision at the initial snap of the ball, and no offensive or defensive lineman positions. 

Instead the defense has a designated blitzer that stands seven metres behind the line of scrimmage, and can run through to attempt to rip the tag off the quarterback.  

Like rippa rugby, each player has tags that the defender must grab to stop the play – known as downs. 

The Otago club includes many international students, and Arundell says most players have come to the game through following an NFL side.

Right now, retaining the South Island crown is Arrundell’s top priority, although he’s excited about future opportunities for expansion within the organisation. 

“Seeing the club grow, we’ve got some females playing in our team at the moment too.”

“One of our long term goals is getting a female team, a youth team and maybe even exploring the contact version as well.”

Bringing the full-contact gridiron game to Otago within the next few years is also the ambition of AFO’s head coach Dell Reuben.

He came onboard to share his expertise with the players. 

“These guys are sponges for the game. They really want to learn, they really want to play and there is quite a bit of experience as well that these guys have brought to the table.”

Reuben played American football for seven years in Australia, before moving to Dunedin more than a year ago. 

He says he fell in love with the game due to its brutality and strategy. 

“It’s a physical chess match. So you got coaches on the sideline trying to read the other team, what they’re going to do.”

“You’re scanning things on the field at the time… there’s a lot of mind games that go into this game.”  

He’s confident there would be enough interest and talent locally to put together a gridiron team, providing another option for people wanting to play a physical contact sport.

“Some of the guys who have been told that they are too big for rugby and too big for league, this is the perfect game for them.”

The NFL is actively looking at players from Oceania and globally through their International Player Pathway.

Australian offensive tackle Jordan Mailata signed a NZ$106 million NFL contract last season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

“Coolest thing about gridiron is that anyone of any size can play this game.”

“So if you’re a big boy you play on the offensive line, if you are a little guy you play in the backs or as a wide receiver. Anyone can play this game.”    

The South Island Championships are scheduled to be held in Christchurch on September 28th.

Otago are determined to go back to back, and this year’s tournament has been opened up to encourage North Island teams to compete. 

“Nelson is going to be there and Christchurch, so those two are powerhouse teams in terms of flag football in New Zealand.” 

Christchurch will boast four out of the nine teams at the one-day event, which features a series of short games ranging from 20 to 30 minutes. 

“Obviously hoping to get a good result again this year and retain the title. But I think it’ll be a challenge for these guys especially depending on conditions.” 

The next target after that is the national championships next March.

“At nationals this year we got third,” says Arundell.

“We’re really stoked with that result, but we would love to be able to get a higher position. Maybe make the final.” 

– By Jack Ward, made with the support of NZ On Air