With teammates from rival schools in Eau Claire, Wis. coach Bobby Diaz and his team, the Eau Claire Packers, felt their relationship strengthen at the NFL Flag Championship trip to Orlando, Fla.
“[The NFL Flag Championship was] an experience that Northern Wisconsin would not usually have,” Diaz said. “We put these boys together [on a team, when we started it] and we hope that they will play well tomorrow. [This experience has] created a bond that will forever last.”
The championship, Jan. 26-30, at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex, provided new traveling experiences for players, while celebrating all levels of football from youth to high school to pro.
“I’ve never been to Florida before, it’s my first time,” Ma’a Fonoti, 10, of Oahu, Hawaii, said. “[The championship] taught me that I can play against the best players in the country.”
The championship offered the opportunity for lasting friendships between teams to form.
“[The opportunities that I gained from the championship are] a lot of things,” Addison Orsborn, 13, of Austin, Texas, said. “We met so many cool people, like DeAngelo Williams. There’s a lot of cool things to do at nationals. The NFL experience is really cool and we met a team last year from Boston and we still hang with them and we’ve reconnected with them through social media. It’s cool to have friendships across the country.”
The NFL Flag championship also provides players the chance to learn how to encourage their fellow teammates and learn about themselves.
“[Football has made me a better person because] it changed [me] by being supportive and being a special teammate,” Chasyn Amano, 10, Oahu, Hawaii, said. “[My favorite part has been] supporting my team and cheering them on when they’re on the field.”
The NFL FLAG hosted eight regional tournaments this past fall in Indianapolis, New Orleans, Washington DC, Boston, New York, Houston, Phoenix, and San Diego. The winners in each age division (9-10 co-ed, 11-12 co-ed, 13-14 boys and 13-14 girls) from each tournament advanced to the Championships at Pro Bowl.
The NFL Pro Bowl, the battle of the AFC versus NFC, occurs at 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29, at Camping World Stadium.