Prince William shows off ‘unbelievable arm’ playing American football

Prince William showed off his “unbelievable arm” as the royal played American football during a community visit.

Young people shouted “what a throw” as acting quarterback Prince William threw the ball to his teammate in one of a number of drills at the event in south London on Tuesday, hosted by the NFL Foundation.

Children from Birmingham, Manchester and London all gathered to play the non-contact version of American football, at Kennington Park hockey pitch.

The royal also met with Louis Rees-Zammit, a former Welsh rugby player who quit earlier this year to try and make it in the NFL, and Phoebe Schecter, the GB women’s flag football captain.

The prince told Schecter that he had played American football on the beach when he was younger, saying: “I try my hand at most [sports]” though “not very well”.

Schecter was full of praise for the royal’s performance, however.

“Honestly, Prince William was great,” she said. “His arm strength is unbelievable, when he let that first ball rip I couldn’t believe it.

“I think if we had better receivers around we would have had multiple touchdowns happening, but his ability to take control of the offence, going into a completely unfamiliar territory really, calling the cadence, receiving the ball, doing a hand-off at one point, making those tactical decisions – it was phenomenal.”

She gave the prince technical tips including “embracing your inner Shakira” by moving the hips.

Rees-Zammit also said he was impressed by the royal’s throwing skills.

“He’s a lot better than me, thankfully in my position I’ve just got to catch and run. He was great at it,” he said.

Penarth-born Rees-Zammit made the shock announcement earlier this year that he was leaving rugby to pursue a career in the NFL.

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He originally joined the Kansas City Chiefs before leaving when he failed to make their 53-man roster, and signing to the Jacksonville Jaguars instead.

It was the third time Rees-Zammit had met Prince William, having spoken twice when he was a rugby player, but he said the royal was very interested in the differences between his old and new sports.

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Flag football is a contact-free version of the American game aimed at being more inclusive, and is set to be played in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The event on Tuesday was organised by NFL Foundation UK which supports people aged 12 to 20 by giving them access to the “fast paced, inclusive and easy to access” sport.