FIRST NFL FLAG NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE HELD AT DISNEY

FIRST NFL FLAG NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE HELD AT DISNEY’S WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS COMPLEX, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM; 108 BOYS AND GIRLS, AGES 10-14, TO COMPETE IN NFL’s 5-ON-5 TOURNEY FOR NATIONAL YOUTH FLAG FOOTBALL TITLES

Non-Tackle Program Promotes Skill Development And Sportsmanship Among Boys, Girls, Coaches and Parents; ESPN Will Tape Finals For December Broadcast;

ESPN the Truck, A Free Interactive Experience For Fans, Will Also Be on Site.

Orlando – Although the Super Bowl is still two months away, young fans will be in Florida, running and passing the football like their favorite NFL stars Saturday, November 18, at

10:00 AM, in the NFL Flag National Championships at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.

NFL Flag, presented by Nike, is the league’s nationwide five-on-five flag football game for kids. It is supported by all 32 NFL clubs and through community-based organizations across the nation.

NFL Flag kids from across the nation will converge on Disney World this Saturday, traveling from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington D.C. to participate in the National Finals. These 18 teams qualified for the National Finals by winning regional championships in October and November.

Boys and girls will compete in three age groups at the National Finals: Co-ed, 10-11; Boys, 12-14; Girls, 12-14. Teams are made up of six members, and the tournament is double elimination, with games lasting 20 minutes. No blocking or tackling is allowed in NFL Flag, and a ball carrier is downed when his or her flag belt is removed from the waist.

Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Boomer Esiason Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis. Boomer Esiason, an NFL quarterback from 1984-1997, will be at the National Finals and present winning teams with their trophies. ESPN will tape the National Finals for broadcast in December.

NFL FLAG

NFL Flag changes players’ and coaching actions through a unique way of presenting the game – every kid plays an equal amount of time and all the plays run and teaching during the game comes from the kids themselves. Coaches are assigned to stay in a coaching box on the sidelines, and are only allowed to instruct players during a three-minute halftime break. The kids themselves make up their own plays during the games. This insures that having fun remains the focus of the game.

"With the help of our 32 clubs, and community groups, our developmental programs reach hundreds of thousands of boys, girls and their parents," said Scott Lancaster, NFL Senior Director of Youth Programs. "Through an innovative approach, kids are provided an experience emphasizing that no one watches from the sidelines and everyone competes equally and more often than in any other traditional youth program available today."

NFL Flag is the most wide-reaching and developed youth program among all pro sports leagues. More than 60,000 boys and girls nationwide play NFL Flag. Created in 1995, NFL Flag was developed as an introductory football experience for boys and girls. NFL Flag is now played in all 32 NFL markets, in 49 of 50 U.S. states, and in 19 countries worldwide. It began in six NFL markets in 1995.

ESPN The Truck, an 18-wheel, 53-foot long, interactive sports experience sponsored by NFL Youth Programs, will also be on site. In addition to enjoying ESPN’s big rig, every visitor, parent and child will be given a card with the Seven Guiding Principles for the NFL’s Youth Programs that have become their philosophical cornerstone. Kids, both girls and boys, will also be able to sign up for local flag football programs.

ESPN The Truck is crossing the country, spreading the sportsmanship message and offering fans a chance to enjoy a three-dimensional, fully interactive, hands-on, behind-the-scenes experience with ESPN. Among its numerous exhibits are:

A replica SportsCenter desk where fans can play sports anchor and take home "keep it reel" audition tape.

A video touch screen wall will let fans watch up close and personal interviews of their SportsCenter anchors.

ESPN Classic/SportsCentury is a multi-media celebration of some of the greatest moments and heros in sports history. There is a countdown of the top 50 athletes of the century and interactive Hall of Fame wall that tells about these athletes with descriptions of their career achievements.

SportsCentury Art includes 36 original pieces from noted artist Joe Ciardiello

NFL Youth Football Programs interactive kiosk celebrates many of the local activities for youngsters in the community.

WHO: 108 Boys and Girls on 18 Flag Football Teams (from 11 states)
WHAT: First-Ever NFL Flag National Championships
WHEN: Saturday, November 18, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

NOTE: FOR MEDIA CREDENTIALS, PLEASE CALL BILL HOFHEIMER AT DISNEY MEDIA RELATIONS AT 407-566-5338 BY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16

About Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex

Spread over some 200 acres, Disney's Wide World of Sports* complex hosts more than 30 sports in professional and amateur competition and training. The state-of-the-art facility includes nine venues and is home to more than 40 Amateur Athletic Union national championships, Atlanta Braves spring training, Orlando Rays minor league baseball, the Harlem Globetrotters holiday series, the only permanent version of the NFL Experience and the Official All Star Cafe.