But this yr that’s not the case.

Starting this Sunday, ladies from Jamestown, Southwestern, Fredonia, Cassadaga Valley, Clymer/Sherman/Panama and Chautauqua Lake will compete in a Pilot Division for ladies flag soccer.

“I think that just the opportunity to play flag football is huge,” Southwestern head coach Jake Burkholder stated. “We’ve got 25 or so girls playing, they’re playing flag football as well as other spring sports. I think it will continue to grow this Sunday.”

Girls flag soccer is one thing new to Western New York with applications beginning just a few years in the past within the Buffalo and Rochester space and now it has made its method to Chautauqua County. With the assistance of the Bills and the NFL’s Flag Football initiative, the game is constant to develop. This previous weekend athletes from Section VI and Section V had been invited to the Buffalo Bills ADPRO Sports Training Center on One Bills Drive.

Members of Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s flag soccer staff are pictured Sunday in Orchard Park.
Photo by Deb Bailey

“The NFL has made a huge push,” Fredonia head coach Nick Bertrando stated. “Having Buffalo in our backyard is phenomenal, everything the Bills do in our region to promote the sport, it was very classy on the Bills and NFL’s part. A couple of Bills players also gave some words of wisdom as the girls embark on this new journey.”

The locals colleges that attended included Fredonia, Southwestern, Chautauqua Lake, Clymer/Sherman/Panama and Jamestown. All of the groups attending had been handled to an introduction, ran drills, scrimmaged and even met a number of the Bills gamers together with Damien Harris, Brandin Bryant, Micah Hyde, Kair Elam, Siran Neal and Trent Sherfield.

“Their support has been tremendous,” Clymer/Sherman/Panama head coach Chris Payne added. “Being able to go a hour away, it’s really a blessing for us to have that so close. The players were really nice guys, they were cordial, took pictures and talked to the kids.”

For the native groups it served as a few of their first reside motion in opposition to opponents and that have gave them an concept of the place they should get to.

“It was our first live action,” Burkholder stated. “It was definitely a learning experience. We went into it making sure everyone got an opportunity to play.”

Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s Leighanne Swan makes an attempt to tug the flag of a Hilton participant throughout Sunday’s occasion in Orchard Park.
Photo by Deb Bailey

For the groups within the Pilot Division, this Sunday is when the league season will start at Charles A. Lawson Field the place all of the groups will probably be hosted by Southwestern. However, that won’t be the primary match in Chautauqua County as Dunkirk has already begun league play in Section VI’s Division 3 in opposition to a number of Erie County colleges.

The Marauders are coming off a 12-0 win over Depew this previous Saturday, however this Wednesday they may get to host Fredonia within the first intercounty matchup ever.

“There’s a familiarity, these girls have competed against the Dunkirk athletes,” Bertrando stated about Wednesday’s sport. “We talk about being truly pioneers, being the first in something is rare. They’re going to be the first group to represent Fredonia in flag football. It’s going to be electric, under the lights at Karl Hoeppner Field, it doesn’t get much better than that in my opinion.”

One of the points of soccer that has stored many away from the game has been the brutality of it, however that definitely has not stopped the athletes from eager to be concerned within the sport. The nature of 7-on-7 flag soccer will take away a lot of that aggressive bodily contact, however the ladies will be capable to showcase their abilities on the soccer subject.

“Around the county our girls are super competitive,” Payne acknowledged. “These girls are not shying away from anything. These girls are aggressive without the full contact, but the flag is a nice start for them. I think the girls are definitely tough enough to play this sport.”

The Pilot Division through which most of the county groups will probably be enjoying in is only the start of flag soccer and this previous weekend on the Bills Fieldhouse the ladies realized the place the game is headed.

“It was a really remarkable experience,” Bertrando stated. “I assumed the NFL program did an outstanding job giving them some perception on how large this factor is. It was talked about that by 2028 it could possibly be an Olympic sport which I assumed was fairly cool.

There are objectives of flag soccer being performed at a collegiate stage on scholarship and even sometime of turning into an Olympic sport.

“This will hopefully keep some engagement and interest going forward for the girls in the sport,” Burkholder stated in regards to the expertise on the Bills Fieldhouse. “Scholarship opportunities are starting up at the next level so that’s an opportunity.”

But earlier than it reaches these heights, the native groups will be part of Dunkirk in motion as Fredonia performs its rival Wednesday. Then issues will actually take off on Sunday when the Pilot Division with Clymer/Sherman/Panama, Southwestern, Fredonia, Jamestown, Cassadaga Valley and Chautauqua Lake all enjoying on Sunday at Charles A. Lawson Field.

“All the games are played at the same location every week,” Burkholder stated in regards to the league. “This week we will host it, Week 2 is at Jamestown then Week 3 at Chautauqua Lake. Games are scheduled at 3, 5 and 7.”