The flag football provincial championships are around the corner.
The games will take place in Surrey this weekend and the Cloverdale Community Football Association (CCFA) is sending several teams.
The BC Provincial Football Association will host its season-ending championship tourney at South Surrey Athletic Park, with games running June 7-9.
“Cloverdale has 13 teams from U8-U19 participating in the finals,” said Yeera Sami, president of CCFA.
He said many of the CCFA teams finished at or near the tops of their respective division standings after several weeks of football and five Vancouver Mainland Football League (VMFL) jamborees.
“Our U10 Orange team is going to the provincial finals with an undefeated record of 19-0,” he added.
According to Sami, the weekend schedule will begin with round-robin play on day one, followed by top seeded 8 teams in U8 and top seeded 16 teams in U10 -U19 moving on to playoffs in their so-called championship brackets.
“Teams continue to play games all the way through the bracket to give teams the maximum number of games, with two top teams in each division playing for the championship game on Sunday.”
Fall Football
With the spring flag season wrapping up after the weekend, Sami said CCFA is now turning its attention to tackle football as fall registration is now open.
He also said his Cloverdale program is bringing in new safety gear for the kids this year.
“Now that the NFL and CFL have approved the use of helmet Guardian Caps for additional protection from head injuries, we have decided to include Guardian Caps for all our player helmets as well.”
He said the caps will be worn for both practices and games.
According to NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller, Guardian Caps have helped reduce concussions by nearly 50 per cent for players when worn in practices.
“This is something new and a first for youth football,” noted Sami. “The helmets come with standard protections (air bladders and padding) and whenever there is additional equipment available to reduce the risk of injuries, we’ll provide that for our players.”
With fall football registration now open, Sami encouraged parents who are interested in signing their kids up to visit cloverdalefootball.ca for more info.
“Rosters are filling up quickly and practices begin on July 2,” he noted. “Football is a very disciplined, full-contact team sport and it’s great for kids.”
He said the game is a lot of fun and the team building that goes on also helps to build character in the young players.
“We have well-trained and certified coaches who teach skills in three, two-hour practices per week to prepare teams for games,” Sami added. “We have two months of pre-season practices before the season opener. The club provides all required gear and clothing.”
He said CCFA is still looking for a few coaches too and those interested should reach out to the Association through its website.
