Lake Chelan Valley Boys & Girls Club launches NFL Flag Football for ages 3-12

CHELAN — At Sargent Field this spring, there’s a new football team in town. Make that a few new teams. And with jerseys donated by the NFL from teams you already watch on Sundays in the fall, they’ll look like miniature versions of the big guys across the country.

NFL Flag is a program from the National Football League, and this year, in addition to programs for older kids, they’re sponsoring teams for players as young as three years of age. In the youth league, the top end is 6th grade, so the age span isn’t too wide, and teams are grouped into ages 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10 and one final group of 11–12 year-olds.

Kids from Brewster, Chelan and Manson from the Lake Chelan Valley Boys & Girls Club will play every Saturday until the end of the six-week season, with seven games in total.

“The Lake Chelan Valley Boys & Girls Club is thrilled about the local interest from families who want their children ages three through grade 6 to participate in our NFL Flag Football program,” said Angela Collins, the club’s unit director. “The program aims to foster a positive experience for players and families, emphasizing respect, ethical competition, and the development of football fundamentals.”

The positive experience for kids this young begins with the fact that there’s no contact — just a flag to grab, instead of getting “tackled” for the ball. That’s easier on parents of this age children, as well. Mouth guards are required even in practice, so this really is about recreation and teamwork, not the bone-crunching game you see played at Lumen Field.

The kids will get to keep those NFL jerseys after the season ends, though. It’s a great reminder of participation in something that more than three-quarters of a million kids across the country will do this year. NFL Flag has even become a proving ground for female athletes to compete at the college level — not that any of the little 11-year-olds at Sargent Field are worrying about that just yet.

Most importantly, however, the Boys and Girls Club doesn’t ever turn away kids for lack of financial support. Every kid gets to compete. The Club gets donations, and will be holding a benefit golf tournament that’s set for June 26 at Bear Mountain Golf Course in Chelan. The tournament will feature many UW and WSU sports celebrities from over the years. To sponsor or register, email Angela Collins at acollins@bgcsc.org or call the club at 509-300-8480.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media