Flag Football

Get Involved!

May 18, 2011 read

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I may have the soccer skills to pay the bills, but as a youngster, I would have loved the opportunity to find out if I could have cut it as a Wide Receiver. Today you do have that opportunity from a young age, thanks to the hundreds of people around the UK who help Junior and Youth competitions to thrive. Whitney Houston would be proud of how many of our British American Football Association Community League (BAFACL) organisations are ensuring that children really are their future.

The opportunity to play at Junior and Youth level has never been greater, and the development of our young players is in very capable hands. Children all over the UK, have the opportunity to play in Youth and Junior flag or kitted games and competitions.

Flag

Flag football is a non-contact sport where you get to practice all the passing, catching and running elements of American football but you tackle by taking the flag off the ball carrier. Players wear the flag on their hips. The games are competitive, but the emphasis is always on taking part and having fun.

It’s a great way for a young player to get involved in playing the game, and to learn and develop the skills they need to really begin to love and appreciate the game. Flag Football is played at all levels, and the very best can go on to represent their country in the sport. And best of all, you haven’t got to convince Mom and Dad to fork out any cash to start playing Flag Football, as you pobably already have all that you need to take to the field.

Youth and Junior Kitted

If you want to start hitting the ball carrier, or being the ball carrier getting hit, then you can get involved in Youth and Junior kitted games. Generally speaking the youth game is played between 14-16 year olds and the Junior game is played amongst 16-19 year olds, but do contact your local club for further details. As well as flag games for younger children, some clubs have younger teams such as Cadet teams which you can play for from the age of seven.

A lot of teams have spare kit for you to wear when trying out the sport for the first time, and if you love it, you will have every opportunity to go on to play for the adult teams, with qualified coaches in charge of your development and enjoyment. If you want to know more about the coaching structure in the UK, please visit the British American Football Coaches Association website at www.bafca.com.

If you’d like to get involved or to find out more, or you think your child may be interested, the BAFACL has three Youth leagues (11-14) (click here to find your nearest team), and four Junior leagues (16-19) (click here to find your nearest team).

If you run a Youth or Junior kitted or flag team, or organise competitions for young players, please post your details as a comment under this post. If you don’t have access to Facebook, please e-mail us at info@ukamericansportsfans.com and we will add all the contact details in a directory on our UK American Football page.