By Rob Kean
Not long after taking office, Nashoba Youth Football & Cheer’s new president, Dan Keough, recalled bumping into his Maynard counterpart, Tim Lawton, one day last spring before a Little League game. The latter was somewhat out of breath and reflecting the sort of in-a-rush quality one busy parent and coach can recognize in another. Given the time of year, Keough assumed Lawton had just come from another baseball diamond.
“But he told me he’d just come from the flag football field,” says Keough now, adding that he knew Maynard’s youth program had been hosting spring flag football for years. “I remember thinking, ‘You know, we should be doing that, too.’”
And now they are.
Registration is under way for NYFC’s inaugural flag football season, which is set to begin on April 27. The season will run for six weeks, each Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Nashoba High School practice fields, where kids will be split into four grade-based age groups—grades one and two, grades three and four, grades five and six, and grades seven and eight. The program is open to boys and girls alike from Stow, Bolton, Lancaster and Harvard.
Most importantly, Keough emphasizes, it’s open to kids of all abilities, from those who play tackle in full pads for NYFC in the fall to those who’ve never even played two-hand touch.
As Keough puts it, “Flag football’s an in-between sport.” And because there’s no tackling (and thus no need for any equipment other than cleats), there’s no advantage for those with the edge in size or strength.
“It’s strictly skill-based,” Keough explains. “Throwing, catching and running. For the first 45 minutes, we’ll just practice the basic fundamentals, and go over formations and defense. Then, for the last hour and fifteen, we’ll divide up and play games.”
For the two younger age groups, these games will consist of five players on a side, while the two older ones will play the more standard seven-on-seven. For all age groups, as improvement lessens the amount of time spent each week on skills, the length of these games will only grow.
Which, Keough stresses, is what it’s all about. “Recreation and having fun,” he says simply. “You don’t have to be serious about it, or want to play football at any other level but this one. Sure, we’ll have plenty of kids who want to stay sharp for the fall season, but I hope we’ll have just as many who just want to get out there and have fun.”
As of Sunday, 77 kids had already signed up to do just that, from all four age groups and both genders. Space is unlimited, though. And because of that (along with the sign-up cost of only $50), nearly as unlimited is the need for volunteers.
“We’re definitely looking for coaches and referees,” Keough says. “We’d particularly love to get help from kids who play at the high school level, and are looking to serve the community in a way that looks good on a college application and is also fun.”
To register your child to play, or volunteer to help, visit www.nashobayfc.com.