By Jonathan Burrows

THE sand was hot and the stakes even hotter this past weekend as the Sand Wars Flag Football Tournament stormed the Beach Soccer Stadium with three days of high-energy competition, featuring 16 elite teams from across the Caribbean.

Teams from Cayman Islands, Freeport, Nassau and Abaco clashed in a display of speed, strategy and athleticism. 

The tournament kicked off Friday afternoon with teams setting the tone for an intense weekend of playoff football. 

The energy built toward Sunday, where elimination games and the championship games for both the men’s and women’s divisions drew an electric crowd to the bridge side venue. This year’s tournament saw a significant boost in its prize purse thanks to a new partnership with NFL superstar Julio Jones and Grammy-winning producer Polow Da Don, who joined forces with Sand Wars organizers in an official partnership to double the prize pool from $10,000 to $20,000. The funds were split evenly between the winners of the men’s and women’s championships, further elevating the stakes and attracting some of the region’s most talented flag football athletes.

“Bringing Julio and Polow onboard was a game-changer for us,” said Reginald Knowles, one of the co-founders of Sand Wars. “Julio came aboard because he liked the physicality and he liked the brand.”

Knowles added, “We started Sand Wars with a vision to create something that united players and fans. We have been doing this for about 12 years now and made it an official tournament for about 8 years now.”

The competition was fierce throughout the weekend, with games often decided by razor-thin margins. 

In the women’s division, it was the Cayman Islands Lynx who defeated the home team Honey Badgers for the championship ring with a game clinching overtime touchdown after a regulation score of 12 - 12 showing exceptional teamwork and grit in the finals. On the men’s side, a Freeport based team made the championships versus the home team in a dramatic showdown that had fans on their feet until the final whistle. It would ultimately be the Freeport based Three Lynx defeating the Nassau team Buzz City with a final score of 22 - 13.

As night fell on Sunday’s award ceremony, one thing that stood out was that Sand Wars is more than just a weekend tournament. With flag football officially becoming an Olympic sport in 2028, the tournament is becoming a flagship event for regional flag football to be pursued with the intent of representing the country. Momentum is building fast for the 2026 tournament as the tournament aims to get bigger and better every year.