The American Flag Football League To Open The AFFL Championship To All Players, Introduce Women's Division In 2020, And Create High School Flag Football Initiative (#football4all)
NEW YORK, Sept. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Flag Football League (AFFL), the preeminent flag football organization in the world, announces the following steps to broaden the opportunity for men, women, boys and girls to have access to our game (#football4all):
- Our 2020 Season will be our most exciting and inclusive yet. For the first time the AFFL will not cap the number of teams participating in its national Tournament. Teams whose players join our new Membership Program will be permitted to enter an AFFL event and take their shot at winning the $200,000 First Prize and the glory of being crowned AFFL Champion.
"Over 5,000 athletes from 500 teams requested the opportunity to participate in our 2019 AFFL Championship," said Jeffrey Lewis, CEO and Founder of the American Flag Football League. "Only 128 teams and 1,500 players were accepted. In 2020, we will be delighted to welcome every eligible team to the fields of the American Flag Football League." - We are thrilled to introduce a Women's Division into our 2020 AFFL Championship tournament. First, this winter, we will hold a Women's Exhibition Series featuring the most accomplished teams in the world. For the first time ever, these athletes will have the opportunity to play football on a 100-yard field. Then we will invite Women's teams from all over the world to participate on a larger scale in next summer's tournament.
"As a member of the world champion USA Women's National Flag Football Team, I am thrilled to see the AFFL introducing a Women's Division in 2020," said Michelle Roque, the AFFL's Social Media director. "I am even more gratified by our initiative to bring flag to the boys and girls of our high schools. There are so many kids participating in elementary and middle school flag programs who have nowhere to play when they reach high school. Let's give these kids what they want – the opportunity to play a game they love that brings them so many developmental benefits." - We are launching an initiative to promote Girls' and Boys' Flag Football in our high schools. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association's most recent Team Sports Participation Report, more people play flag football than play tackle football, three times as many play flag football as play lacrosse, and twice as many people participate in flag football as do in team swimming. All these sports are ubiquitous across the country's school systems, yet only 12,000 athletes across the country have the opportunity to play flag football representing their high school.
"When a sport has already been embraced by the community, requires so few resources, and exposes the kids to so much less risk than many of the other sports we are playing, we have to ask the question 'Why are we not playing this game in our high schools?'" added Jeff Lewis.
The AFFL's Membership Program represents an exciting new opportunity for our fans and players to be part of our League. All players who wish to participate in our events will be required to join*. In addition, all members will receive discounts on merchandise and tickets from the AFFL as well as access to exclusive Member events. Interested fans and players should go to www.affl.com for more details.
* Does not apply to residents of Maryland, Nevada and North Dakota.
About The American Flag Football League
The American Flag Football League provides a platform for people who aspire to compete in football and win at life. Real people. Real stories. Real football.
For more information on the AFFL, please visit www.affl.com
SOURCE American Flag Football League
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