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It’s early Sunday morning and three fields of the Round Lake Sports Center are filled with boys and girls playing NFL-sanctioned flag football as their families cheer from the sidelines and keep the Gatorade cold.
“He likes it better than baseball,” said Grayslake mom Rhonda Sissac of her 9-year-old son, Seve, who plays for the Rams.
“This is our second season. We look forward to waking up in the morning to watch them play,” said Deenah Tattrie, of Hainesville, whose son Michael, 5, is a Panther. “It’s so well organized. I could not be happier as a mom. He absolutely loves it.”
The Round Lake Youth Flag Football League (RLYFFL) was formed last February by Round Lake dad Eric Carlson after his sons' former team, the North Jr. Knights, dissolved its program.
Their inaugural season was held last spring. Since then, participation in the RLYFFL has grown by 38 percent with 110 kids in kindergarten through fifth-grade playing on 13 teams named after real NFL teams.
“It’s been extremely successful. It’s a huge hit with the community,” said Carlson, noting more than 30 dads volunteer as coaches.
The players even wear jerseys with official NFL logos, but you won’t find the Chicago Bears or Green Bay Packers in this league.
“We decided early on not to have it,” Carlson said. “It’s too close to home and we want to keep the drama out of it.”
It’s also an opportunity for the young players to learn about other NFL teams they may not be familiar with.
“We’ve had many parents come up to us and say their kid wants to watch the Chargers or Browns on the weekend and watch the plays they do,” Carlson said.
Fastest growing youth sport
On a larger scale, flag football, a no-contact sport in which players try to down their opponents by capturing their belt flag instead of tackling them to the ground, is the fastest growing youth sport in the United States according to the 2016 USA Football Participation Survey, which is part of the annual Physical Activity Council (PAC) Participation Report.
In 2015, flag football participation among children ages 6 to 14 was up 8.7 percent from 2014, while participation in tackle football had only increased 1.9 percent.
Like the RLYFFL, the Antioch Youth Flag Football League (AYFFL), for boys and girls in third, fourth and fifth grade, is experiencing steady growth. The league began in June 2015 with 32 players. Their numbers have since more than doubled.
“We started the league to fill a void in the community,” co-founder Jon Kotloski said. “The existing youth football programs in the area didn’t offer fall flag football after second grade, only tackle. We had many parents and kids, including our own, interested in continuing to play so we started the league and partnered up with NFL Flag.”
The AYFFL has played some exhibition games against the RLYFFL and is interested in organizing a future tournament. The league is open to children who reside in Antioch and the surrounding communities, including some in Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.antiochflag.com.
Safe and fun
Flag football is a great sport for younger kids, Carlson said, because safety concerns are minimal, as tackling, blocking and pushing is prohibited. “It’s as safe as soccer. Any contact you have is incidental.”
And while they do keep score, “The real focus is on players learning the fundamentals of football, having fun and getting some exercise,” Carslon said. “My whole mission was to provide a place locally where kids could play in a fun and safe environment. That’s what we’ve done.”
As his league continues to grow, Carlson hopes more girls will join up.
“The girls are really successful,” he said. “They’re better than a lot of the boys.”
Katelyn Marcelain, 9, of Round Lake, and her brother, Nolan, 8, play for the Rams. Both used to participate in the North Jr. Knights. She said it’s “pretty cool” to be the only girl on the team. Her favorite position is receiver.
Angelo “Moose” Tenuta may only be 5, but he’s becoming a flag football force. “They call me Moose because I’m tough,” said the Colts player. “I like to pull the flags.”
Catching the football is the most fun, said Bryce Carlson, who plays for the Rams with his brother Brady, 9.
“It’s awesome playing with my brother,” Brady said. “We’re good players.”
Many RLYFFL players live in Round Lake’s Madrona Village, where Carlson lives and created the program, but children from any neighborhood or community are welcome to join.
The league is nonprofit, with a registration fee of $100 per player per season, which covers the cost of jerseys, flag belts, insurance, field space and equipment. There are two seasons per year, in the spring and fall. Players practice Friday nights at Park School in Grayslake and play games on Sunday mornings at the Round Lake Sports Center.
Registration for the RLYFFL’s spring 2017 season should get underway by February or March. Carlson is also expected to host a week-long flag football camp at the Round Lake Park District this summer.
For more information, visit www.roundlakeflag.com.
To start or find an NFL Flag football league near you, visit www.nflflag.com.