i9 Flag Football Review – Review of i9 Flag Football League for kids. i9 FF is for boys and girls from ages 4-6, 7-9, & 10-13 and is scheduled for a 7-week season. Practices are conveniently held before the game (Saturdays) so the league is just a 1-day commitment for parents (and players).
My son’s introduction to i9 Flag Football took place in an i9 Summer league.
I was thankful there was an option for flag football during the summer months as most youth sports leagues tend to take a hiatus during the summer. Our summer i9 Sports flag football experience was very positive so we signed up for a full season of i9 fall flag football.
i9 FLAG FOOTBALL REVIEW
My then nine-year old joined the fall i9 flag football season with a group of his friends from his elementary school. i9 gives you the opportunity to join with friends. A number of i9 flag football players continue as a team through the years and we encountered teams on the schedule that were established or had played for a few seasons together. The fall flag football season is 8 weeks (including a playoff game) and our games were held on the fields at Avondale Middle School. i9 now has locations all across Metro Detroit, just plug your zip code into their website and they tell you were each league will host their games near you.
OAKLAND COUNTY MOMS BUSINESS REVIEWS
The i9 flag football experience is a great introduction to football for a young boy or girl and a good alternative for an older child who may not want to play tackle football. The games are played 5 versus 5 and every child plays at least 50% of each game. The teams practice individually on-site for 1 hour and then play a 1 hour game immediately following practice. i9 coaches are usually volunteer parents and are tutored by i9 on how to coach the kids. Our coach even distributed a playbook for the kids to study to learn the plays. Kids get to keep their jerseys. I like the fact that i9 doesn’t require expensive football cleats (gym shoes are fine) and there are no “add on” costs outside of the mandatory mouth guard.
i9 flag football really goes above and beyond in terms of details and sportsmanship when it comes to flag football. All of the coaches thoroughly rotate the kids so they are playing different positions on offense and defense. The i9 flag football refs did a great job all season and would even take time to explain to coaches and kids why a certain play was flagged or reminded them about certain game situations during play. Each i9 player on a team’s roster (my son’s team had 9 players) receives a participation award and pizza at the end of the season and there are also weekly sportsmanship awards. i9 keeps statistics for the kids to track via their website. My son’s coach even offered a non-mandatory practice at a local park for our team to help them get acclimated to play. Overall, our i9 flag football experience was fantastic. My son had a great time and his team is looking forward to the next season.
If you want a “low-key” introduction to recreational flag football, i9 Flag Football is a great place to start.
For more info on i9 Flag Football, visit i9Sports.com
