NFL flag football starts biggest season yet
HERALD PHOTO BY CHUCK BALLARO
Cowboys’ defender Zachary Schooly cuts off the Jets’ Reid Beckman during a U10 NFL flag football game Jan. 13 at Carmalita Athletic Park in Punta Gorda.
HERALD PHOTO BY CHUCK BALLARO
Saints’ coach Ron Gamble gives his team the play during a U8 NFL Flag football game against the Colts at Carmalita Athletic Park in Punta Gorda.
HERALD PHOTO BY CHUCK BALLARO
Chargers’ runner Giovanni DiBene runs around the end to elude two Raider tackler Jan. 13.
HERALD PHOTO BY CHUCK BALLARO
Saints’ defender Logan Copeland dives to pull a flag off a Colt ball carrier during a U8 NFL flag football game Jan. 13.
HERALD PHOTO BY CHUCK BALLARO
Ava Spalding of the U10 Jets makes a reception and heads upfield during an NFL flag football game against the Cowboys at Carmalita Athletic Park.
HERALD PHOTO BY CHUCK BALLARO
Fans line up from goal line to goal line during the opening week of play of NFL flag football at Carmalita Athletic Park. Nearly 300 kids are playing in the league this season, making it among the most popular programs in Charlotte County.
By CHUCK BALLARO
Sports Writer
To show just how popular NFL Flag Football has become in Punta Gorda, there were fans lined up on all three fields from end zone to end zone, watching their kids from ages 6 and up play on Jan. 13. That was pretty much the scene from the first games at 1 p.m. to the final whistle four hours later. The only difference was the new faces and new players for every game.
NFL Flag Football, presented by the Peace River Athletic Club (PRAC), has grown every year since its inception in 2010. It now has nearly 300 kids in four age divisions, more than double that of three years ago, and is played at Carmalita Athletic Park, which can hold the volume of players and fans.
