Football. The quintessential American sport.
Flag. Tackle. Touch. Co-ed. Youth. High school. College. Pro.
It’s all football. And it’s all fun. Football brings people together.
Family + Community
Football season gearing up and boy, does that make me happy. It’s one of the best parts of fall—spending time with family and friends, who are playing and/or watching our favorite sport.
Growing up, my family watched NFL football. My brother played football. Most of my guy friends played football. And, at the end of the beloved high school football season, my girlfriends and I took the field for the annual “powder puff” game. (I played cornerback.) My now-husband was a captain on his high school team and now our kids love throwing a ball around.
There’s just something special about the game. Done right, it teaches teamwork, good sportsmanship, self-confidence, discipline, coordination. It promotes overall health and fitness and the idea that you can do hard things. You can fall down, get back up and do it again.
Life skills, right?
Every play, you are a single piece fitting into a puzzle. You learn that if the team works together, it completes that puzzle—one colorful piece at a time.
I love what the coaches at my son’s middle school told parents and players at the beginning of the year—that they welcomed all skill levels and all makes and models of player. That the smallest kid in middle school could end up being the biggest, fiercest, fastest player in high school. That football was for everyone.
Future for Football
Recently, I learned about a cool organization called Future for Football—a one-stop shop for everything football. Except it’s not a shop at all. It’s simply a place to learn and to be inspired.
Sponsored by the National Football Foundation, Future for Football offers countless resources, including an ever-expanding list of tackle, flag, co-ed, women’s and other leagues of every shape and size across the United States. It has historical injury stats, rule changes, tech advancements, a virtual workout series and tips for players, parents and coaches.
In short, its mission is to provide real-time, reliable information to current and future football families.
Girls in the Game
Football used to be a boys’ sport. Not anymore. Girls and women have loved watching football for decades and now, they are playing it, too—flag, tackle, co-ed and leagues of their own. Their participation and influence have steadily increased in recent years.
While the predominance of girls and women play flag football, full-contact tackle is moving full-steam ahead, too. In 2015, Utah Tackle Girls Football launched in a first-of-its-kind league for girls in 3rd-12th grades. In 2019, 446 girls played on 24 teams. Texas has been a leader, too.
From 2014-19, the number of NFHS high school programs with at least one girl on the traditionally “boys” tackle football team grew 291 percent from 510 to 1,998. Those are big numbers, folks.
Participation of women at the collegiate and pro levels have been increasing, too. A number of colleges have added women’s flag football as a varsity sport. And the Women’s Football Alliance has grown from 36 teams in 2009 to 69 teams in 2022. The Women’s National Football Conference and Extreme Football League are up-and-coming forces, as well.
This matters, mamas. One day, we won’t refer to women football players as “women” football players—they will simply be football players just as the “women” doctors of the 70s are now simply doctors. Girls and women are showing that they are just as capable of playing football as they are of playing volleyball or soccer. Let’s show up and cheer them on!
College Football Scholarships
No matter if your child is a young woman or young man, college is expensive, folks. A close friend’s son is starting college at a state school this fall. His mom and I were talking the other day and she said each semester will be about $14,000, including room and board.
“We just paid $685 for a parking permit for the year,” she texted.
In fall 2021, US News and World Report said the average cost of tuition and fees to attend a ranked public college in state in the United States is $10,388 for the 2021-2022 year compared with $38,185 for a private college. The average cost for out-of-state students at public colleges comes to $22,698 for the same year.
That is a lot of money for most families.
Nearly 100,000 students play football at about 900 colleges and universities of all sizes, including 125 junior college programs, according to a “State of the Game” report compiled by Future for Football. So, if kids might be able to earn scholarships by doing something they love (like football), why not try?
Football is passion, teamwork, fun.
Visit FutureForFootball.com to find a league near you and for other helpful resources!
Touchdown!
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