Will return this summer to Beacon field
The Beacon Flag Football League completed its first season this past weekend at the Beacon High School field, crowning the team sponsored by Twins Barbershop as champions following its win on Sunday (Jan. 14) over Carter’s Restaurant.
Along with Twins and Carter’s, teams in the inaugural season were sponsored by Baja 328, Pacha Barbershop and Marcelo Home Improvement.
Rich Rinaldi and Shane Green, who played flag football while attending Beacon High School (both graduated in 2020), felt they could grow the idea. This past fall they put the word out and, after hearing from 70 interested players from ages 16 to 35, assembled a schedule, secured sponsors and held a draft.
“We are a very competitive league,” said Rinaldi, the commissioner. “This is a great way to build a community and play some football.”
Flag football is growing in popularity, including as a girls’ varsity high school sport. The NFL has started investing in youth flag football and the sport will be part of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The NFL and flag football’s governing body, the International Federation of Football, drafted rules.
The Beacon Flag Football League adapted those rules, which reflect tackle football with variations, such as, if the flag falls from a player with no contact, he is down at the spot. Each game consists of four, 15-minute quarters, with a running clock except for the last five minutes, when it stops on incomplete passes or if a runner runs out of bounds.
“We refer to ourselves as the flag family, because we are a big family,” said Rinaldi. “Guys around town have become friends because we all have a common thing and that is football.”
The men’s league will play again in the summer. For information, see instagram.com or email [email protected].
