Head coach for USA Football’s 17U Girls’ Junior National Flag Football Team Joshua Saunders sees the beauty in doing things correctly in all aspects of life, and says sport is no different.
Having amassed 301 career victories on the high school stage – the most in the history of flag football – while earning six Florida State Coach of the Year honors in the meantime, Joshua says he is very detail-oriented in his coaching style.
“I don’t like walking past mistakes and always want to get things right,” he adds.
This filters into everything he does – from teaching high school mathematics to refereeing collegiate and high school basketball and of course, coaching flag football.
From August 5-9, Joshua is joining Nadia Bibbs, the 17U Girls’ Junior National Flag Football assistant coach and former Women’s National representative, on the USA Football Sports Envoy to Tonga.
Hosted by United States Embassy in Tonga, Joshua and Nadia will conduct a series of coach-to-coach workshops and after school clinics for youth interested in playing flag football.
The Sports Envoy will then travel to Fiji to launch the same program in Nadi and Suva.
Flag football is set to make its debut at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.
It has resulted in the reintroduction of the sport to Tonga and Fiji, to grow the game and pave an alternative pathway for aspiring Pacific athletes.
While he has visited Australia and New Zealand, Joshua has never travelled to a Pacific Island before.
“I’m super excited about the experience and seeing the cultural differences and then being able to bridge the cultures through flag football,” Joshua says.
“I also love teaching and hope to leave an impact on the coaches and leadership that leaves them inspired to expand the flag football footprint in Tonga and Fiji.”
Joshua says the really cool part about flag football is it is a game for everyone and suited for players of all sizes.
“There are many different ways to be a quality flag football player.
“Athleticism certainly helps, but the game in its basic form is pretty simple – you need to catch footballs and pull flags, so I think the qualities that make people better at that really help.
“Good hand eye coordination and aggressiveness to the ball is a start to becoming a quality flag football player.”
He adds the Pacific visit is an important component of growing the game, globally.
“There is an entire culture of people that love sports and trying to expand the role of flag football in that region is important.
“It would also be very cool to see flag football as sport in the Olympics in Australia in 2032.”
Contact NukualofaPD@state.gov or visit the US Embassy in Tonga for more information on the Sports Envoy program in Tonga.