After the disappointment of seeing its game between New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in Beijing cancelled, the NFL is pursuing its China interests by organizing the fourth edition of the China Flag Football (CFF), a simplified football game suitable for boys and girls at school age.

During the championship game on Sunday, the high school of Beijing Capital Normal University were crowned winners after seeing off Guangdong Peizheng High School 31-7. The team-members won the right to attend to the World Cup to be held in New Orleans.

The Beijing team dominated their Guangdong opponents, despite the southern team having World Cup experience, representing China last year and finishing fifth. The game started fairly, but Beijing fared better in the rain that eventually saw the game suspended until Monday.

The two finalists were the best from a pool of 124 teams from high schools in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Harbin and Shandong. Since the NFL and the Ministry of Education reached an agreement in 2003 to introduce flag football to Chinese high school students, the game's popularity has exploded.

"We brought flag football to China three years ago, and over time, a great deal of attention and focus has been garnered," said NFL.

To fully profit from the potentially enormous Chinese market, NFL will follow the example of the NBA by setting up an office in Beijing in September.

(China Daily June 27, 2007)