This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

NEW Youth FLAG Football League Starting in Petaluma

How did most of us start playing the game of football as kids?  For some it would be organized tackle football leagues, but for most of us it was a pick up game on the street or at the park, maybe even flag football at your junior high and elementary schools. Those games bring back great memories of pretending to be your favorite football hero. Vivid memories of drawing the plays on the street in front of your house or at the school close to your home may come to mind. Big kids normally assigned to being a linemen on a tackle football teams got to play receiver, running back or maybe even throw the pigskin as quarterback.

This may conger up similar memories.  Maybe you never got the chance to play but really wish you had the opportunity to at least try. Well Sonoma County has a new league that hopes to give kids the opportunity to play and learn the game of football while keeping it fun and safe.  Future Leaders of American Gridiron (F.L.A.G.) is launching the inaugural season April 6th 2014 in Santa Rosa at Piner High School and May 11th at St. Vincent High School in Petaluma. This flag football league is open to youth grades K-8. It is a league founded by two local coaches who have a long history in football experience and have lived in Sonoma county all of their lives. Co- founder John Antonio, Current Piner High School head coach, Petaluma native and officer for the Petaluma Police Dept. expressed the mission of the league. “We want a league that gives all kids, boys and girls, the chance to learn about sports and competition through the great game of football that we love so much. It has been a huge part of my life and its something I want my kids to have the opportunity to have a similar fun experience. We feel a league like this is really needed.”

The league is played on Sundays, nice for parents who have kids playing other sports, and practice is an hour before each game. Teams are made up of 10-12 players based on their grade level.  Every player will play in every game. Each athlete will get a chance to play offense and defense as well as most positions. “It is really our goal to make this experience a great one for these young kids just starting to learn the game of football. It is also for the kids who have experience with playing tackle football.  We want to give them the opportunity to develop their skills so when they go back to putting pads on, they have better foot work, better technique catching, running and throwing the football” This comes from former Sonoma County Standout and co-founder Dante De Paola, who played safety for Cal Berkeley, and was a free agent with Baltimore Ravens and NFL Europe Barcelona Dragons. “We realize the rising concerns about the game of football parents have.  We hope to make them feel more comfortable about letting their children play this great game, so down the line if they want to play tackle football they have a better grasp of the game and have a better awareness of their abilities.”

Find out what's happening in Petalumawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The FLAG League launch seems to have great timing considering the ever growing national attention to concussions in the NFL and College game. Parents are leaning towards waiting on letting there kids strap on a helmet or even letting them play at all. Contact football leagues have seen dramatic drops in signups across the country. Campaigns like Heads Up Football and major rule changes by the NFL are trying to combat these diminishing numbers. Future Leaders of American Gridiron could be a great step in the right direction to give young aspiring footballers the opportunity to learn the game, in a safe environment and develop the skills that will aide them in all sports that they play. John Antonio may sum it up best. “We want more kids to have fun playing football, period. It is a great sport.  Football is a game that mimics a lot of what we go through in life.   We really believe that kids will be better off having experienced participating in the game”. 

 

Find out what's happening in Petalumawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On line registration and league schedules for Future Leaders of American Gridiron is at

www.1flagfootball.com

            

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?