Flag football fundraises for provincial gridiron programs

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This article was published 08/05/2024 (749 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Football Manitoba is leveraging its fastest-growing sport in hopes it will open more doors for young players around the province.

The provincial organization’s new initiative, the Adult Flag Football Association, has set out to raise more than $1 millon over the next decade to support amateur football in Manitoba.

The AFFA will raise funds through its flagship event, an adult flag football tournament, which debuts in June.

“We feel this is the exact opportunity to start a program like this,” said Jeffrey Bannon, co-organizer of the tournament.

The event will take place at Maple Grove Park on Father’s Day weekend and welcome adults of all skill levels to play for cash prizes.

Early-bird registration will run teams $600 (about $50 per person) with an option to play in the competitive, co-ed or recreation divisions. Teams will play at five-on-five in a round-robin and playoff format that is yet to be determined.

Another flag football tournament for adults and youth will take place at Tec Voc High School on Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The AFFA will add to its event calendar quickly, Bannon said. It could host four tournaments as early as next year.

“With the success of PIT Football (a touch and flag football league that runs year-round at indoor and outdoor facilities across Winnipeg) and the explosion of registration that Football Manitoba is having for their flag football programs, and also now with the start of the high school program, we just feel that is one of the next hit sports,” Bannon said.

It costs a player $2,700 to travel with Football Manitoba’s U18 tackle team — a price many are willing to swallow to get in front of talent evaluators from marquee post-secondary programs in the country.

The lofty fees have kept some of the province’s best players sidelined, however, Bannon said.

“Sometimes it’s not the best players that can (travel) but it’s the best players that can afford it, who go,” he said. “I want the kids that say, ‘No, I’m not going to travel because I can’t afford it,’ I want that completely out of their vocabulary.

“Right now, eight out of 10 athletes that play on these high-performance teams get some post-secondary education offer and we want to increase that to ensure everyone has an opportunity to play football.”

Manitoba has some of the best participation numbers in flag football in the country, along with Saskatchewan and Quebec. The draw has only grown since the pandemic and is expected to continue since flag football was announced to be a part of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Prior to the pandemic, fewer than 1,000 players registered for Football Manitoba’s U18 (six to 17 years old) outdoor league. Last year, it registered 1,600 players and it estimates there are 2,100 participants in the league.

The province also fields provincial teams for boys and girls in the 18+, U18 and U16 divisions.

“More people are playing than ever before and the great thing about flag football is, you look at PIT football, there’s so many different age groups that almost anyone that wants to play, can play,” Bannon said.

“We’ve gotten messages from Football BC, Football Ontario, and everyone is on board. We’ve talked to Football Canada and this has not stopped, we feel it can go not only nationally but internationally.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam