GREEN BAY — Over the past 10 years, flag football participation has declined in Wisconsin, but flag football participation has increased.
This week on Youth Sports: Beyond the Score we find out why, and one thing is certain – this sport is for almost everyone.
“He’s always smiling,” said Steven Childers, founder of the Fox River Classic youth soccer team. “There are always lots of happy kids running around.”
There are many reasons why kids love flag football:
“Flag football is about scoring touchdowns and celebrating,” said Jack Phillips.
“I just put the ball in my hands, run and get the flags” – Katlin Heneghn.
“It definitely expanded my reach among friends, and it was a lot of fun just meeting new people,” Kacey Gutekunst said.
According to the International Federation of American Football (IFAF), flag football will overtake world football in terms of opportunities for organized participation within the next few years.
“There are a lot of kids who want to try it at a young age to see if football is something they want to do,” Childers said. “That’s why I think flag (soccer) is so popular.”
The main reason is safety. Bob Kraft coaches his 9-year-old son Luke. Like many parents, Kraft is wondering whether to let his child play football because of a concussion.
“When I played, there wasn’t much there,” he said. “You get hit, you come back and play, you don’t really know what happened. Now I think they know a lot more about it.”
Fox River Classic Youth Flag Football team leaders focus on techniques and teach children the ins and outs of the sport.
“My under-8 (defense) team can sit there and cover coverage and show they’re in the lineup by reducing coverage to second coverage, 3-zone coverage, Tampa 2,” Childers said. “It’s amazing that these 7- and 8-year-old kids can do this now.”
Ryan Angst, a parent and coach who has an 11-year-old son, says he feels more comfortable with his son playing tackle because of what he has learned playing tackle.
“Because he is now learning proper flag pulling techniques,” Angst said. “It’s almost the same as making a tackle: you want to get down low, keep both hands on your hips and finish. we just don’t finish, we just drop the flag.”
Many parents tell NBC 26 they believe flag football is also more inclusive for female participants. This is another reason for the sport’s recent surge in popularity.
“Seeing these girls here and understanding how much fun they put into it, watching them and just wanting to go out and succeed,” Childers said.
Last year, girls’ participation in the FRC doubled. the number of teams increased from 6 to 12. Research shows that nationwide participation increased from 1 million girls to 1.6 million in 2023.
“I think girls soccer is a very, very underrated sport and should become a national sport,” said Emma Beyer, a ninth-grade student at West De Pere. “Just spread the word. maybe one day it will become a WIAA sport.”
