MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 21: Fans pose for a photo prior to a game between the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals at Estadio Azteca on November 21, 2022 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco 49ers on Friday announced the launch of a youth flag football program for students in Mexico.
The team partnered with the 49ers Foundation, NFL Mexico, and Banorte, one of Mexico’s largest financial service groups, to launch 49ers Flag Mexico presented by Banorte. The program is a school-based initiative intended to expand free access to flag football.
"Bringing our globally recognized Flag Football programming to Mexico on a permanent basis has been a goal of ours for a long time. We’re thrilled to make that a reality with the launch of 49ers Flag Mexico," Justin Prettyman, the vice president of Philanthropy and the executive director of the 49ers Foundation said in a press release. "This program deepens our commitment to the global growth of flag football and ensures that students across Mexico have free access to flag football and healthy lifestyle education."
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The program is being launched in the Los Cabos BCS school system, located in Baja California. Up to 15 schools — public and private — will integrate flag football into their physical education curriculum. It’s part of the larger NFL Mexico Flag program, which is projected to reach more than 7,000 schools and engage over 3.1 million students in 2026.
By the end of the program’s first year, the 49ers aim to expand flag football programming to up to 75 schools across Mexico.
Schools participating in the program will receive equipment and a comprehensive Spanish-language curriculum to integrate the program into PE classes. Mexican Flag Football leaders including former 49ers offensive lineman Alfredo Gutiérrez and flag football coaches Arely Monserrat Pérez García and Coach Odin Gracia Garcia will support teachers with in-person and virtual training.
The 49ers Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1991, has invested more than $70 million into Bay Area communities.