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Youth Flag Football

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Y members enjoy 40% discounts on youth flag football leagues.

For Ages 6 to 9

Flag football has skyrocketed in popularity among youth in the U.S. In 2023, there were over 1.6 million American youth players, including more than 500,000 girls. Flag football will become an Olympic sport for both men and women by 2028! When your child plays flag football at the Y, they’ll focus on the in-game basics like teamwork and making friends.

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About Our Leagues

  • Ages: 6-7 and 8-9 (two separate age groups)
  • Open to All Kids: Co-ed teams
  • Registration Dates: Through October 23, 2024
    • Pre-season: Sunday Football: October 27th 
    • Games:  November 2nd– December 14th (No Games 11/24-11/30) 
  • Locations: YMCA East, Hays, Northwest, Southwest, Springs, TownLake

Information

  • Skill Building: Learn the basic rules and fundamentals of football, followed by a scrimmage each session.
  • Co-ed:  Co-ed league fosters inclusivity and teach kids to respect and work with diverse teammates, enhancing social skills and teamwork. 
  • Teamwork: Promoting sportsmanship and collaboration.
  • Safe Play: A non-contact alternative to tackle football, following professional flag football rules and guidelines for 5v5.

Warm-Ups (15 minutes)

  • Agility: “T” drill, Lateral box drill, Foot fire drill, Zig zag drill, 4-corner drill.
  • Conditioning: High knees, Lunges, Butt kicks, Quick steps, Sumo squats, Karaoke, High knees + scoop, Quick feet drills.

Skills (30 minutes) 

  • Offense  
    • Quarterback Drills: 3 & 5 Step Drops, Scrambling, Throwing Technique, Reading Coverages, etc. 
    • Running Back Drills: Ball Security, Ball Handling, Footwork Progressions, Change of Direction Drills, etc. 
    • Wide Receiver Drills: Stance & Body Position, Releases, Route Tree Teach, Catching in Traffic, Motions/Sweeps, etc. 
  • Defense  
    • Age-appropriate defensive coverages (man and zone concepts). 
    • Proper stance, leverage, coverage alignments (man and zone concepts). 
    • Flag pulling drills and fundamentals. 

Game Play (45 minutes) 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE YOUTH FLAG FOOTBALL RULES & GUIDELINES

  1. Coach Request: We start by reviewing coach requests, taking into account any specific coach preferences that participants may have.
  2. Friend Request: Next, we consider friend requests. If your child wants to be on the same team as a friend, we make every effort to accommodate this request.
  3. Age and Skill Level: To create balanced teams, we also factor in age and skill levels. We aim to distribute participants of varying ages and skill levels across teams, promoting fair competition and a supportive environment.
  4. Practice Day: Additionally, we consider practice days when assigning teams. Our goal is to ensure that teams can practice together conveniently.

By integrating these steps, we strive to create teams that not only honor preferences but also provide an inclusive and well-matched experience for each participant.

Our program provides a nurturing environment for children to explore new skills, foster teamwork, and build connections with positive role models, offering them a healthy and safe outlet for growth and development. In consideration of the safety of others, we kindly request that if you or anyone in your household is feeling unwell, please stay home during youth sports events.

Volunteers are crucial to the success of our program. Thank you very much for volunteering your time and talent to serve as Y youth sports volunteer coach.

Visit our volunteer training page for details and requirements to become a coach for Greater Austin YMCA sports leagues.

For youth sports inquiries, reach out to Ricardo Torres or Alexis Williams at sports@austinymca.org.

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Children play a game of flag football on an outdoor field

“Flag football at the Y is a safe and fun alternative to tackle ball.”

– Eric P.