The Bobcats will begin to play games on March 29th, and will continue to play games until May 3rd. The regular season will consist of five games against teams across the state of Connecticut.
Seven players will be on the field at a time of a roster of at least eleven players. Since flag football is not an official sport sanctioned by the CIAC, athletes can participate in their usual spring sport as well.
“Flag allows players at all levels to find a part of the game that they can become successful in,” Flag Football Coach, and SWHS health teacher, Mrs. Stavens Martin said.
Teams can qualify for playoffs if they play all five games in the season. Playoffs will begin on May 6th at a neutral site that has yet to be determined. Regular season games will mostly be played on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Last year, Windsor took home the championship out of the ten teams participating, defeating the East Windsor/Northwest Catholic Co-op in the championship game.
This year, about two dozen teams, including South Windsor, are expected to participate in flag football. Many of the teams come from the Capital Region Athletic League (CRAL), and the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC).
“The implementation of flag here at SWHS is very beneficial to continue to offer activities that provide a way for students to be active and feel connected to school beyond the classroom,” Stavens Martin said. “Also, flag football is a growing sport for female athletes that is now providing a collegiate experience as well which can help students get comfortable in a new environment after high school.
The rules of flag football are similar to the rules of the sport of tackle football, but at the same time, they are also quite different.
The positions of the two sports are similar, but since flag football is played with seven players instead of eleven, there is only 1-2 lineman on each side of the field, although there is no blocking. Touchdowns are still six points in flag football. After the touchdown, flag football teams can elect for a one point try from the 5 yard line, or a two point try from the 10 or 12 yard line depending on the play type. Teams are required to pass for the one point attempt, but are given the option of running for the two point attempt.
Rather than it being played on a full 120 yard football field, flag football is played on a modified 70 yard field, with 50 yards in between the endzones. Also, flag football teams have four downs to cross midfield, and then three more downs to score, as opposed to the tackle football rules where a team has four downs to gain ten yards. Most notably, the play is blown dead when the ballcarriers flag is pulled, rather than when they are tackled.
Flag football is a fast growing sport across the United States and the world. According to the NFL, about two and a half million athletes aged four through seventeen participate in flag football internationally.
Seventeen states, including Connecticut, have sanctioned flag football as a varsity sport. Twenty two more states, including Massachusetts and Rhode Island, are running pilot seasons to test out the sport, according to NFL Flag.
Additionally, many colleges and universities are sanctioning flag football as a varsity sport. Notably, nearby Eastern Connecticut State University is launching a varsity flag football program in the spring of 2027. They will compete in the Little East Conference.
With all of the recent growth, it is no surprise that flag football will be a sport for both men and women at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
As the new coach, Stavens Martin is most excited about seeing the athletes grow their skills and have some competitive fun on the field.
