FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                               Contact:
            December 27, 2001                                             STEVE ALIC, NFL, 212-450-2066, alics@nfl.com

 

NFL FLAG NATIONAL TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
FEATURES YOUTH FOOTBALL STANDOUTS JAN. 2 ON ESPN2

 

Youngsters From Across the United States Take Part in NFL Youth Flag Football Tournament

 

The second annual NFL FLAG National Tournament of Champions will be telecast on ESPN2 Wednesday, January 2, at 7:00 p.m. ET from the Walt Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. Twenty-three NFL Flag youth football teams from 10 states advanced from a field of 100,000 flag football players to vie for the National Championship.

Developed and run by the National Football League, NFL Flag gives girls and boys of all skill levels a fun opportunity to play five-on-five, non-contact flag football. Launched in 1996, NFL Flag is America’s longest-running professional sports league-driven youth sports league melding the excitement of playing America’s favorite sport with valuable football lessons such as fair play and teamwork.

The 23 teams participating in NFL Flag’s National Tournament of Champions:

9-11 Year Old Coed Division                12-14 Boys Division                        12-14 Girls Division

Redding Raiders (Redding, CA)      S. Raiders (W. Sacramento, CA)           Rocklin 49ers (Rocklin, CA)

Mid-Atlantic Jets (Preston, MD)      Runnemede Eagles (Runnemede, NJ)    Broncos (Federalsburg, MD)

N.J. Giants (Wayne, NJ)               NY P.A.L. (New York, NY)                     Giants (Cedar Grove, NJ)

CFC Chicago (Crystal Lake, IL)      Penn Hills (Penn Hills, PA)                   Chargers (Brawley, CA)

Packers (Los Angeles, CA)             Imperial County SAL (El Centro, CA)    Las Vegas (Henderson, NV)

Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)            Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)                Berkeley (Denver, CO)

St. Charles Saints (Denver, CO)     Stapleton (Lakewood, CO)                     St. Pete P.A.L. (St. Petersburg, FL)

Miami JCC (North Miami Beach, FL)  Miami JCC (North Miami Beach, FL)

 

For the second-consecutive year, ESPN and ESPN2 will televise the NFL Flag National Tournament of Champions. ESPN2 will air the tournament on Jan. 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET and Jan. 16 at 1:30 p.m. ET. ESPN telecasts will be Jan. 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET and Jan. 23 at 1:30 p.m.

Former NFL star quarterback BOOMER ESIASON, the official spokesperson for NFL Flag, will host the ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts. Proceeds from NFL Flag benefit the Boomer Esiason Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis. Esiason also is an NFL Flag coach for his children’s teams.

Parents or guardians across the United States may register their children to play in NFL Flag leagues by calling 1-800-NFL-SNAP or by logging on to www.playfootball.com.

NFL Flag is part of a series of NFL Youth Football Development programs that provide exciting ways for even more children to play, watch, experience and enjoy the game of football. The NFL is the favorite sports league of kids, according to the 2000 ESPN Kids Sports Poll.

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