By By Chandler Myers
Atmore is missing something. It’s not something too terrible and doesn’t mean anything is wrong with the city. It’s just missing something that would be fun for a lot of people if it were advertised enough.
For four years, I played flag football as a part of the intramural sports program at the University of Alabama. Besides Saturday, flag football games were the best day of the week during college.
A flag football league in this city would be a great activity for almost anyone. The great thing is, it doesn’t just have to be a sport for the men. There could be a male league, female league and even a co-ed league that husbands and wives, brothers and sisters or just friends of the opposite sex could be a part of.
Starting up a league might be difficult, but at the same time it might not be, if some initiative was taken to get it going.
I know I would love playing flag football any day of the week other than a deadline day.
It could also benefit area football players by helping them keep in shape if the season was held in their off season. A league might even help coaches and players enhance their relationships by participating in the league together. There really doesn’t need to be many age limits. Once a player hits the 10th grade, they can play with the adults and some of them might even tear it up against the older guys.
The league could almost pay for itself with the entry fees by each team purchasing any equipment needed, use of fields and it could also go towards paying for referees.
With the help of an entity such as the Atmore area YMCA, the league could possibly succeed. Come to think of it, if any profits could be made from it this could also help fund the Y and help with its future debacle of losing one of its trusts.
Really and truly, there doesn’t even need to be a league at this point. I would just like to go out to that big field by the YMCA or even meet up at the Blue Devils football field on a Sunday and play some football.
Football weather is getting closer with the temperatures getting cooler so it really wouldn’t be that bad with the heat, and I am sure there have to be some people my age, even people older or younger that would come out and throw around the pigskin on a Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and sometimes Saturday afternoon.
The point is, this could be a great thing for Atmore. A flag football league could be one of the best things to ever hit this town. It might not last, but at least we can say we tried.
Have a good weekend.
Chandler Myers is sports editor of the Atmore Advance. He can be reached at 368-2123.