Season begins on Oct. 19 at Malibu High School field
Flag football is coming to Malibu.
The Malibu Greatness Flag Football League, a member of the National Football League’s official Youth Flag Football Association, will kick off its season on Oct. 19 at the Malibu High School football field.
Jerrel Hamilton, a Malibu Greatness administrator, said Malibu Greatness is a great opportunity to play flag football for Malibu youth.
“It can be amazing,” said Hamilton, also a Malibu High Sharks football coach. “Kids will learn about teamwork and create a lot of good memories.”
The league is open to boys and girls ages 8 to 15 with up to 15 players on each team. The cost to register is $300 a child. That fee includes jerseys, flags, shorts, and a mouthguard.
Flag football, a sport different from traditional football in a few ways aside from football helmets and pads being eschewed, is gaining popularity around the nation.
There are already several leagues near Malibu in areas such as Calabasas, Camarillo, Santa Monica, Simi Valley, Ventura County, and Woodland Hills.
Hamilton coached flag football last fall in Santa Monica before embarking on establishing a league in Malibu.
Malibu Greatness’s eight-game fall season will run until Dec. 14. The league will kick off again for another slate of games from January to February and also have games in the spring. All the games will be played at Malibu High.
Hamilton aims for the new non-contact league to hold a skills clinic for potential participants to practice a variety offootball skills, including passing and catching a football, speed and agility, and of course, flag football’s version of tackling — pulling an opponent’s flag.
Hamilton said flag footballers he coached Santa Monica had a great time playing the game, and he desires Malibu youths to have a similar experience.
For more information, visit www.malibunflflag.com or email jerrelhamilton007@gmail.com.