The flags are a fun way to introduce kids to the game of football.
Instead of somebody bearing down on the person with the ball, players in flag football wear a belt with a couple of thin banners (flags) that stick via velcro, and one of the flags must be ripped off to indicate a good tackle.
Vernon and District Minor Football Association (VDMFA) is looking for boys and girls who have played before or who have no experience at all for all of its age groups in an Okanagan Flag Football League.
Vernon will have teams at the U10, U12, U14 and U16 level, and players are needed for all teams.
“Flag football is a non-contact game and a fun way to introduce the game to the kids in the spring,” said new VDMFA president Devin Rodger. “Then, we hope some will come back and play tackle football in the fall.”
A combine (skills camp) will be held Saturday, April 9, at Greater Vernon Athletic Park at Okanagan College.
“There will be five or six stations with basic skills and drills like catching, passing, and the 40-yard dash,” said Rodger. “This will help us with player identification and it will help us make the teams fairly even.”
Practices are held Fridays from 6-8 p.m. and games are Sunday afternoons. Vernon’s home games, and practices, are held at Grahame Park (Fulton Secondary School).
Registration forms for flag football are available on the association’s website.
Coaches are also needed for flag and tackle. Anybody interested in helping out can email Rodger at generalinquiries@vdmfa.ca.
Rodger is also hoping some sponsors would like to help out the organization as well as anybody looking to make a donation to minor football.
“We are trying to get some new practice equipment for the kids,” he said.
For Rodger, he’s now come full circle with the local organization.
After starting his career in Vernon Minor Football, the offensive lineman from Armstrong played for the Okanagan Sun junior squad out of Kelowna, then played Canadian university ball for the University of Manitoba Bisons.
Rodger had a stint in the Canadian Football League with Edmonton.
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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