THE Bahamas Youth Flag Football League (BYFFL) is scheduled to make its return to the sporting scene on Saturday, August 31, on the fields opposite the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium from noon until 3pm.

The youth league has steadily increased its membership each year while also fostering the growth of the sport for young boys and girls alike.

Registration opened last week for aspiring players from ages six to 18 and will continue into next week.

Last season was an impressive one for the BYFFL and, according to programme director Jayson Clarke, this season promises to be even bigger and better.

“We have a lot in store. It’s been a great year so far and we have had a lot of activities from January up to now. We took a break for the last four to five weeks and that has given us a lot of momentum going into this current season which we know is going to be our biggest and best season ever. 

“We have close to almost 100 kids already registered and we expect the number to double over the next week. We are definitely looking forward to an exciting season this year,” he said. 

During the 2023-24 campaign, the BYFFL hosted a number of marquee events which included a free offensive and defensive football camp, their second high school tournament and the Spring Bowl.

The high school tournament, which was started in 2023, featured a total of 11 teams including competitors from St Augustine’s College, Queen’s College, Kingsway Academy, Doris Johnson, CV Bethel and Windsor in the junior and senior divisions.

The tourney was so successful that some of the high school flag football squads opted to join the BYFFL regular season.

“Besides the numbers being up, I am really looking forward to far more and broader participation. We would’ve done our second high school tournament where we had more schools involved and now I am really excited because this year a lot of those high schools have been infused into our season …What that does is not only bolster our programme but also get those kids playing flag a whole lot more to have them better prepared for when the high school tournament comes up next year. I am really excited about how it is taking off and the support we are getting from schools we are working with,” the programme director said.

The newest editions to the 2024-25 BYFFL season are the CV Bethel Stingrays, Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins, and Windsor. Also joining this season are players from QC and Kingsway Academy.

For Clarke, it is truly fulfilling to witness the growth of the programme and watch their goals turn into reality in real time.

“It feels really good because now you see some of those plans coming into fruition. You also see the desire in the youth to play the sport. A lot of the schools didn’t even know the sport kind of existed so now I am really excited because it is just telling us that the plans we have put in place are now taking shape. I am also very happy to see some of the new schools coming onboard like Doris Johnson and Windsor,” he said.

He added that he hopes one day the sport can be added to the school curriculum but for now he is happy to have the teams play in the league externally.

The season will run from August 31 until December 7. The first four weeks will be dedicated to training before gameplay starts.

Interested individuals can register via email at byffl242@gmail.com or visit the BYFFL Facebook page to access the registration link.