C&G NEWSPAPERS: Xtreme Fun!

Xtreme fun: Flag football league gives fans chance to curb gridiron appetite

By John McTaggart
C & G Sports Writer

In 2000, according to the National Federation of High School Associations, over 1 million high school athletes played varsity football at one of the 13,313 high schools across the United States.

These kids play not only because they want to letter in a sport, they play because they love the game.

“I’ve been a football player since I was 8,” Brad Simmons, 29, said while hoisting a barbell over his head at Lifetime Fitness in Shelby Township. “And I still am.”

Simmons, who tips the scales at 245 pounds and stands a touch over 6-feet tall, certainly looks as though he could play in the NFL, but he doesn’t.

Instead, this longtime football fanatic takes part in a league that is somewhat obscure, yet gaining in popularity. Simmons and dozens of other football fans are a part of the Detroit Xtreme Flag Football League.

The DXFFL brings together players of varying ages and skill levels and allows them to curb their appetites for football — without the risk of great bodily harm.

“After high school, there really isn’t much for a guy who likes to play football,” Simmons said. “Aside from playing in the backyard or at a park, there’s nothing. That’s why the DXFFL is such a great thing. It gives frustrated football jocks like me the chance to play in an organized league where the competition is very good.”

The beginning Flag football is not a new sport.

The DXFFL, however, is a fairly new concept in flag football.

“What we wanted to do was create a league that is as close to the real game as possible,” DXFFL founder and comissioner Francis Meram said. “But, we wanted to do this without the tackling.”

Thus far, Meram says, the league has been very successful in achieving this goal.

“Our players are very pleased with how the games are played,” Meram said. “They’re physical enough to know you’re playing football, but without the great risk of serious injury. That’s what we were going for when we started.”

The idea was actually hatched in 1998 at Shelby Soccer City when Meram and his friends would get together to play football at the center.

“We started by playing tackle,” Meram explained, “but quickly realized that the turf was a little too hard to get tackled on. So, we came up with the flag idea. After playing that way for a while, we thought it would be a great idea to organize a league. The league was popular from the beginning, but not even Meram could’ve envisioned how big the league would grow in just four years.

“We started out humbly,” he said. “But it’s just taken off from there. We’ve had over 70 teams in the DXFFL, and we’re looking to grow even more. The ultimate goal for us is to have a facility dedicated strictly to the game — a place where people of all ages and skill levels can come and play.” Currently, there are DXFFL leagues played in three different facilities in the tri-county area. Along with Shelby Soccer City, teams play at Taylor Sports Center and the Pontiac Silverdome.

The game

“It’s not a whole lot different than regular, traditional football,” Simmons explained. “Except it’s faster and more exciting. Plus, you don’t have to have any equipment. Just come there in shorts, a T-shirt, and a pair of sneakers, that’s all.”

The biggest difference between flag and traditional football is the field — a DXFFL field is 65-yards long (including the end zones), and 30-yards wide. A traditional field is 120 yards (including the end zones), and 50-yards wide. This gives the game an arena football-like feel.

“We don’t have traditional first downs either,” Meram explained. “The field is divided into quarters, each quarter being 15 yards long, and those are our first downs.”

Another difference between the DXFFL and the NFL is the number of players on the field.

“The DXFFL is an eight-on-eight contest,” Meram said. “And everyone is eligible to catch a pass.”

Also, there are no fumbles in flag football. Should a player drop the ball, the play is simply stopped and the ball is placed at the spot of the fumble.

“There are differences, that’s for sure,” the commissioner said. “But they’re done for safety reasons mainly, and they’re also done to pick up the pace of the game. They do just that.”

For those football purist worried that the game is too different, too soft, too gentle, Simmons is quick to put these thoughts to rest.

“I’m going to tell you,” Simmons said. “It’s a tough game, a very tough game. Just because there’s no tackling doesn’t mean it’s not a physical game — it is. It’s just not physical to the point where people get really hurt. Sure, there are going to be some freak incidents, but not with any frequency. The game is safe and fun.”

Just who can play

The ages of those who enjoy playing in the DXFFL range from 16 to 45, Meram says, with the average age of the players in the league being late 20s to early 30s.

“It’s a nice mix,” Meram added. “The guys are competitive, but good guys too.”

This holds true for each of the DXFFL’s three divisions.

“We’ve broken the league up into three divisions, bronze, silver and gold divisions, based on skill level,” Meram said. “The bronze division is more of a recreational league, aimed at those who have little or no formal football experience. The silver division is for players with some football experience, mainly high school playing experience, and can get pretty competitive. The gold division is the elite division with many of the guys playing college or even pro football at some point in time. These are the cream of the crop, and it shows.”

Meram admits, however, that the line between the divisions is getting thinner every season.

“The players in every division are getting better and better,” the full-time civil engineer and part-time DXFFL commissioner explained. “And that makes for a very exciting league at all levels.”

The seasons, or sessions as they’re called in the DXFFL, run from October through May indoors, with an outdoor season being added in 2002.

“We’re excited about the league and where it’s headed,” Meram said. “The league is growing and, more importantly, the players are having so much fun. That’s what we want from the DXFFL, that’s what really matters.”

For more information about the Xtreme Flag Football League call Francis Meram at (586) 781-2756 or log onto www.dxffl.com.

You can reach John McTaggart at jmctaggart@candgnews.com

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