For the next few years, Steve Liebowitz will be focused on one goal: to take his Israeli flag football team, Israel AFI American Football, to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Liebowitz, a former journalist with Israel's ILTV and a native of Israel, founded AFI 20 years ago. There are men's and women's teams, both of whom have competed in world championships. The men's team currently ranks 8th in the world and 3rd in Europe, while the women's team ranks 18th in the world.
Now the founder is on a tour of the US with one of his athletes, Jonathan Curran, and has spoken about his hopes of introducing AFI to the upcoming Olympic Games.
“I'm ready and I want to meet someone who can help us in our Olympic quest,” Leibovitz said. “I want to take us there.”
“I am ready and willing to meet anyone who can help us in our Olympic quest.” – Steve Leibowitz
Leibowitz and Curran will be in Los Angeles on June 8 to talk about the team hosting the 2021 World Championship at Temple Sinai. They also plan to go to Chicago, Minneapolis and Dallas.
Leibovitz said, “This trip will allow us to deepen our interactions with local supporters.'' “My goal in a year's time is to bring the men's team to America and play against the best teams because we have the best flag football players in the world.”
Leibovitz believes that in order to qualify for the Olympics, a qualifying tournament will be held in 2027. Israeli teams rarely compete in the Olympics, and Israeli flag football has never competed before.
“The official announcement that the Olympics would be held in Los Angeles came a week after the war started in Israel, so the timing was not good for us,” he said. “Despite all the problems, we are trying to keep our minds and eyes on the goal of being part of the top teams in this sport.”
AFI has big supporters, including Mark Wilf, president and co-owner of the Minnesota Vikings, and Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, who has been a sponsor of the team since its inception. A soccer field in Israel is named after the Kraft family.
“Robert and I promised that one day we would put an Israeli in the NFL,” Leibowitz said. “As he said, he wants to change the reality that when a Jewish boy reaches bar mitzvah age, he has a better chance of owning an NFL team than of being on an NFL team.”
For the past six months, AFI has been inactive. This is because many of the players are currently fighting in the Israel Defense Forces. Curran has been in the military almost non-stop since his Oct. 7 attack, and the government's budget for the team has been heavily affected by the war. In addition to touring the United States to raise support for the Olympics, Leibowitz and Curran are also raising money for the team. The funds will be used to cover the team's operating costs and travel costs, including the World Championships in Helsinki in August.
If you're going around the world, AFI is usually fine. But seven years ago, at the first big soccer match in Spain, pro-Palestinian protesters beat drums and painted the Palestinian flag on the field.
“We went out there to kick their butts in the game,” Leibovitz said. “It was a huge upset when we won.”
Turkey “probably has more armed guards than fans,” he said. It was a very hostile environment, to say the least. Again, we kicked their butts. ”
For the most part, the team is welcomed with open arms and everyone is professional and exhibits good sportsmanship.
“Israel has a great reputation in the flag football world,” Leibowitz said.
During Leibovitz's trip and beyond, he plans to continue working to get his team to the Olympics. It would be great for flag football for Israel and his country.
“The medal will be a big boost for our sport,” he said. “It's important for us to participate in the Olympics and carry the Israeli flag.”
For more information about AFI and to donate, please visit AFI's website. iflfriends.com/donate.
