Prince William, Passionate Soccer Fan, Is Now Embracing American Football, Too

The Prince of Wales took part in a flag football game while supporting the NFL Foundation UK on Tuesday, Oct. 15

• Prince William participated in a special flag football event hosted by the NFL Foundation UK in London on Tuesday, Oct. 15

• The Foundation helps tackle the challenges faced by young people in underserved communities and is celebrating its three-year anniversary

• William is a big sports fan and is regularly seen at soccer games involving his favorite English Premier League side Aston Villa

Prince William is ready for some football!

On Tuesday, Oct. 15, the Prince of Wales, 42, attended an event hosted by the NFL Foundation UK, an organization focused on tackling challenges faced by young people in underserved communities across the country. The Foundation, which is celebrating its three-year anniversary, is the first international charitable arm of the National Football League (NFL) and targets areas of the U.K. with high levels of deprivation and low levels of physical activity.

The event Tuesday highlighted how the NFL Foundation UK is using flag football to help change lives, according to Prince William’s office at Kensington Palace. NFL Flag — a fast-paced, inclusive and non-contact American football format — is a rapidly growing sport in the U.K., and will even make its debut in the Olympics in 2028, when the games head to Los Angeles.

At the royal engagement, William — a longtime and passionate sports fan — will meet with representatives from NFL UK and community partners from the Foundation to hear about the work the NFL is doing to help young people develop confidence and reach their potential through the power of sport. He is then expected to take part in flag football with young people from across the U.K., as well as NFL players including Louis Rees-Zammit, a Welsh athlete who plays for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, and Phoebe Schecter, GB Women’s Flag Football team captain.

Following the flag football game, Prince William will speak to young people about how they have benefited from the support of the NFL Foundation UK.

The league has been playing regular season games in London since 2007, and the sport of American football continues to grow in popularity. Games have been played at both the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium.

The NFL Foundation UK launched in 2021 as part of the NFL’s international charitable endeavors, beginning with efforts in London and expanding to Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds through a partnership with the San Francisco 49ers and funding from Sport England.

The Foundation delivers flag football training and equipment to help young people from the ages of 12 to 20 “access positive pathways, using the power of sport to reach communities to help achieve positive outcomes for young people focused on education, employment, building inclusive communities and improving physical and mental wellbeing,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.

As Prince William continues to get introduced to American football, he’s been a fan of English football for a long time — a sport that is popularly known in the U.S. as soccer. The royal is president of the Football Association (the game’s governing body in England), a passionate Aston Villa fan and often posts about the sport on social media. The royal has even successfully introduced eldest son Prince George, 11, to the sport, and cheering at matches has become a consistent father-son bonding activity for the two over the years.

Related: Prince William Loses His Voice Cheering Favorite Soccer Team to Victory: 'I Can't Quite Believe It'

As recently as Oct. 2, the Prince of Wales made a surprise appearance at Aston Villa’s game against German giants Bayern Munich at Villa Park, its home stadium in Birmingham. Prince William watched the match alongside friends Thomas van Straubenzee (who is one of Princess Charlotte’s godparents), Harry Aubrey-Fletcher (who is one of Prince Louis’ godparents) and Edward van Cutsem, another royal family friend.

Prince William cheered, pumped his fists and gave a double thumbs up while watching the game earlier this month. “I’ve lost my voice,” he said after Aston Villa emerged victorious with a score of 1-0, according to the Daily Mail. “I can’t quite believe it.”

The next day, while at a royal engagement at Birtley Community Pool on Oct. 3, William told a well-wisher at the event “I lost my voice because I was shouting a bit too much last night,” according to the Mirror.

Prince William told the Telegraph in 2018 the origins of his Aston Villa fandom — and how it was born from a desire to root for the underdog. “A long time ago at school, I got into football big time,” he said at the time. “I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United or Chelsea fans, and I didn’t want to follow the run-of-the-mill teams.”

“I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments,” he added.

Related: Prince William Cheers on Favorite Team in Surprise Outing: He's 'Buoyed' by Soccer amid Trying Times, Says Source

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As Prince William has faced a difficult year — both his wife, Kate Middleton, and his father, King Charles, were diagnosed with cancer in 2024 — a close source previously told PEOPLE that his favorite team has lifted his spirits.

“He has been hugely buoyed by the results of Aston Villa,” the source shared. “You shouldn’t overlook the importance of soccer in these moments.”

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