Why flag football?

As a youth sports coach one of the questions I get asked a lot is why play flag football as opposed to standard tackle football.   These types of questions generally stem from a negative stigma attached to the sport that considers flag football as recreational only (i.e. non-competitive), or worse that flag football is only a dumbed down version of standard football.  I take these types of questions as an opportunity to educate parents on the virtues of flag football.  

Here are some of my reasons for preferring to have my child participate in flag football over tackle football:

• Safer.   Even if you don't believe that concussions are a problem, as a parent you have to be concerned with having your developing child in scenarios where they are having constant full contact with other players.
• Learning basic skills.  Flag players spend most of there time learning to throw, catch, run routes and defend the pass or run. A flag player will have the same or more knowledge in these areas then the average standard football player, especially considering the next point.
• More diversity in skill positions.   Flag players are more likely to play a variety of skill positions.    In standard youth football players tend to get stuck in certain positions based on their skill set and athletic make up. For example,  a player I know recently moved to the 10-11 year old football program.  Because this player is more robust he ended up on the defensive line, this is most likely the only position he will play the entire season.
• Co-ed friendly.  From my observations the ratio of girls to boys in flag better then most sports at the youth level.  Its not uncommon to see an all girls league or at the very least a team made up mainly female players.

 I'd also like to look at what the players will miss out on in flag football.

• Blocking.  As most flag rules are non-contact, there is normally no blocking.
• Tackling.  Again do to the non-contact nature, there is no tackling required.  Instead players will plug the flag from the flag belt in order to perform a "tackle". 

For children and parents alike flag offers some great benefits in that it is less demanding time-wise, safer from injury and co-ed friendly.  At the same time flag football offers most all the necessary skills that the players need to be able to transition to standard football.  

I fully intend to let my child "pad-up" and play standard football a few years down the road.  However, for right now we are fully enjoying flag football , confident that when it is time to transition my kids will be able step-in with little if any learning curve.