Flag football is a terrific way to enjoy the strategic challenge of football without the elevated risk of physical injury that comes with tackle football. The game is popular with youth and adults and little equipment is necessary to play. It’s estimated that 20 million people enjoy flag football programs across the United States. Here are some fun facts about the sport:
Military Recreation Boosted the Game
Flag football has been around almost as long as tackle football. “Touch and tail football” boosted the popularity of the sport in the 1940s, when soldiers played it recreationally on military bases. Games were popular during that time as a way to keep fit while on base during World War II. The game became known as flag football, and it remains popular among adult and college recreational leagues.
Brady Started with Flag Football
Flag football helped launch the career of one of the most successful professional football players of all time, Tom Brady. He started playing flag football in elementary school and continued until his first year of high school. He used the skills garnered from years of flag football to secure a spot on his high school’s junior varsity football team.
In his junior year, he was a starter for the varsity team, and he went on to play college football at the University of Michigan. Brady is most famous for being a member of the New England Patriots, but few people know that he gained his start with flag football!
Guinness World Record Goes to Canadian Fundraiser
The Guinness World Record for the longest continuous game of flag football is for a game that was 62 hours, 4 minutes, and 53 seconds long! At Yara Centre in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, the game lasted from April 30 until May 3, 2015. Moose Jaw Touch Football played the game as a fundraiser.
Neighborhood Sport Gains Momentum
Flag football gained popularity as a neighborhood sport beginning around the 1950s. It gained momentum once it reached college campuses and intramural and social club sports programs added it to their rosters. The first-ever National Collegiate Flag Football Championship was at the University of New Orleans in 1979.
You Can Play Too
One of the benefits of flag football is that young and old alike can play it. The game doesn’t involve contact, so it’s a fun activity for adults and children to play together. It’s offered around the nation with men’s, women’s, and co-ed options.
The sport of flag football is regaining popularity in the United States. Some people believe this upsurge is due to brain injury concerns associated with the tackle version of football. Apex Indoor Sports is proud to offer youths this safer opportunity to learn valuable team building and sportsmanship skills. It’s not too late to register youths from 5 to 12 years old for the spring flag football season!
