The "Flag, Football and Francophonie" initiative seeks for IFAF and the French American Football Federation (FFFA) to share knowledge and best practices.

Its first phase is due to launch in the second third of 2023 around the core topic of training and education.

"We are proud to partner in this innovative project that places the resources of the French federation at the service of our sport's development in some of the youngest and fastest-growing regions of the world," said IFAF President Pierre Trochet.

"It is an opportunity to fast-track progress across our many shared objectives, which centre on harnessing the power of flag football to drive rapid growth in participation, transforming the lives of millions of young people around the world."

French is spoken in 112 nations by an estimated 255 million people with this number expected to rise to 820 million by 2050.

The Francophone market represents a huge opportunity for growth for IFAF, especially in Africa where 90 per cent of French speakers aged 15 to 29 live. 

"We are proud of the years of work that have placed our federation in a position of international influence," said FFFA President Brigitte Schliefer.

"This latest project, with IFAF's oversight, will give the FFFA an opportunity to play its part in the global development of American football.

"It will enable us to share with all French-speaking federations the fundamentals of our development programmes for flag and tackle football.

"I am really excited by the idea of putting French expertise at the service of everyone."

As well as driving participation in French-speaking countries, the initiative has also been launched with the hope of supporting efforts towards flag football's inclusion in major multi-sport events, namely the Olympic Games.

The format already appeared in last year's Birmingham 2022 World Games and is aiming for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.