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Flag football growing in popularity. The sport will take center stage in Canton this month

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Flag football growing in popularity. The sport will take center stage in Canton this month

Elliott Giles’ passion for flag football began shortly after college, when he started his own league. Now, the 47-year-old’s league is one of the biggest in the Stark County, with 52 teams this past season.

So, when the decision to hold the NFL Flag Championships in Canton was announced earlier this year, he was excited.

“It’s awesome that it is right here in our backyard,” Giles said. “The NFL Flag always puts on a big show for these kids and these families to make it a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The NFL Flag Championships will kick off July 19 at the Hall of Fame Village, featuring 280 teams and 2,860 players, including six teams from around the world, according to the NFL. The three-day event will be broadcast live across the ESPN, ABC and Disney networks — putting Canton, the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, on the national stage for football yet again.

The championships will arrive in Stark County at a time when flag football is growing in popularity worldwide. Last year, the Olympics opted to add the sport to the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, raising the question of whether NFL players will play. The NFL already has incorporated flag football into its Pro Bowl weekend.

And according to the website Statista, 7.3 million people played flag football last year.

Last month, the NFL announced that Toyota has become a sponsor for the event.

“NFL Flag has reached extraordinary heights, yet one constant has remained since its inception — it provides a way for every boy and girl to compete in football, and in turn, experience the benefits tied to the sport,” Stephanie Kwok, vice president of flag football at the NFL, said in a prepared statement. “Flag football promotes fitness, teamwork and self-esteem among youth.”

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Why is flag football growing in popularity?

Roman Stout, 10, who goes to school in the Plain Local School District, has been playing flag football for the past two and a half years. He’s the quarterback on his team, a position that he said comes with a range of emotions.

“If your wide receiver drops the ball, it’s frustrating,” he said, “but once they catch it, you celebrate.”

Roman is one of many kids taking part in Giles’ Stark County NFL Flag Football league, an experience he’s learned a lot from. Though he won’t be playing in the championships, Stout said he’ll be watching.

Giles was a teacher until 2021 when he began running flag football leagues full time as the league president of Northeast Ohio Youth Sports. He said flag football gets a lot of appeal from parents, as it removes the physical aspect of tackle football.

“All we are is just an avenue to try and get these parents an alternative,” he said. “If [or] when they are ready to take that lunge into tackle, they are better prepared to take that lunge.”

The championships will begin with pool play, Giles said, where teams compete against each other to determine the standings in the bracket. Then, the teams go head-to-head in a single-elimination style tournament.

Giles said the tournament offers the kids a lot of exposure compared to other sports in this age range.

“It gives these young athletes the opportunity to meet and compete with some of the best talent across the country,” he said.

Giles said he’s looking forward to the tournament, and he’s grateful that his flag football leagues have been able to impact his community.

“It’s been an unbelievable experience,” he said. “It’s just something that I love.”

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