UNCG gives host to a variety of intramural sports teams on campus, twenty-one different leagues over the course of two semesters to be exact.These sports range from basketball and soccer to battle canoes and racquetball. Flag football, one of a few intramural sports that is played in both the fall and spring semester, is entering its third week now, with games being scheduled to be played throughout weeknights on the rec field. Without a university football team and with the club team barely a year old, intramural football on campus is the only option for the best players to compete.
It is safe to say that these players that play flag football at UNCG are not people just trying this for fun. It may be flag football and not the conventional football, but these guys know what they are doing on the field. “Football has always been apart of my life,” Jamal Wilkinson said. “It has always been one of my main passions”. You can tell that these flag football players are passionate about playing this fun, up-tempo sport. These players are always flying around the field. At some points, it is hard to keep up with them. They have audibles for their plays just like in conventional football. If you were a spectator and did not see their flags, you would think that this is a normal game of football at first glance.
Being one of the only avenue for serious football on campus, flag football’s popularity leads to three different leagues and twenty teams in total. This shows that there are many students all around the campus, who are so passionate about this incredible sport. “I wanted to come out here and play the sport that I love with some of my friends,” Joshua Williams said. It is so obvious that these players go out and have a fantastic time during the games.
Players described how they prepare for the season between the fall and spring dry period. “We have our own practices during the offseason,” Isaac Gill said. “We make our plays and get ready for the season”. You can tell that the different teams plan for the upcoming season during the offseason. It is obvious, because they are so in unison in the games. These players know what their teammates are going to do before they even do it. The only way that the players can be on the same page like that is by practicing during the offseason.
Also, one thing is for certain. These teams are extremely competitive. They want to be the very best at their sport. “We want to have success during the regular season and win every game,” Vincent Robinson said. “We want to win the tournament as well”. It is doubtful that any player that is playing flag football does not have this same mentality. The ultimate goal for each team is to win the regular season and go on to take the tournament as well. It will be interesting to see what team accomplishes their goal of becoming the intramural champions.
Second, the referees were very impressive as well. Despite the fact that they are students first and their job requires much more training then the teams, these referees know how to control a game like any full time official. At the game that I attended during the week, the referees were absolutely sensational. They kept the game under control, which is huge for a referee. When there was a questionable call, they went on to the next play. That is what you have to do as a referee. These referees actually invested their time into the sport and players as well. This is something that is so hard to find in referees today. It was evident that the referees were having fun and glad to be there.
If you have free time during the weeknights, you should catch a flag football game at the rec field. There are different leagues that you can go watch. There are leagues on Mondays and Wednesdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and one on Sunday.