The NFL‘s flag soccer championships shall be getting prime TV and streaming actual property below its new take care of The Walt Disney Co.

Again in February, ESPN inked a five-year deal for the rights to NFL Flag, and the league now says that the championship video games will get distribution that will make different skilled sports activities leagues resentful.

The flag finals will run on ESPN, the ABC broadcast community, Disney Channel and Disney XD, and it’ll stream on Disney+ in an additional enlargement of the streaming service’s dwell sports activities efforts. It would additionally stream on ESPN+ and NFL+, and air on ESPN Deportes.

ESPN itself will televise 32 hours of matches, with all video games additionally streaming on ESPN+ and NFL+ and a few video games additionally to be performed on ESPN2 and on YouTube.

The NFL says that 280 girls and boys groups are taking part this yr, with six worldwide groups additionally set to compete. The occasion will happen from July 18-21, on the Corridor of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio. Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the occasion.

“Combining ESPN and Disney platforms with the NFL’s dedication to flag soccer, the NFL Flag Championships would be the showcase occasion of the summer time for the world’s quickest rising sport,” mentioned Julie Sobieski, ESPN senior VP of league programming and acquisitions, in an announcement. “By means of our presentation and strong international distribution, we are going to highlight the extremely gifted girls and boys throughout the event, whereas additionally highlighting the thrilling, inclusive, and accessible nature of the game. We stay up for being a gateway for a lot of followers, together with the friends of the taking part athletes, to expertise aggressive flag soccer for the primary time.”

The NFL has leaned into flag soccer in recent times, partly in response to issues round deal with soccer accidents like concussions, but in addition as a method to develop the sport amongst youngsters and younger folks.

The league additionally adjustments its annual Professional Bowl to culminate in a flag soccer match between the groups, eliminating the full-contact model of the occasion.

However the NFL’s flag efforts are additionally a long-term play to construct a brand new model of the game, one that might have a strong viewers of its personal. And the take care of Disney is an enormous push in that path.

“The NFL Flag Championships introduced by Toyota, being held on the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame, in Canton, Ohio, amplifies the aim for this event and for the NFL,” added Stephanie Kwok, VP of Flag Soccer for the NFL. “This championship will showcase extremely aggressive video games with competitors from all 32 NFL golf equipment across the nation. It additionally exemplifies that flag soccer on the grassroots stage is inclusive and accessible, each lady or boy that desires to play may have each alternative to play this sport.” 

Disney, in the meantime, is quietly including but extra sports activities content material to Disney+. Its first occasion was final month, that includes Caitlin Clark’s WNBA debut. The corporate additionally mentioned that it’s going to add an ESPN tile to Disney+ later this yr, with choose dwell video games and studio programming.