By Erik Evenson, Radiance Technolgies Independence Bowl Director of Community and Media Relations
The second annual Independence Bowl Foundation 1st & Give Charity Flag Football Tournament will hit the Independence Stadium turf Saturday.
The seven-on-seven flag football tournament currently features eight teams, and the double-elimination tournament will kick off at noon on Saturday.
Each team is playing on behalf of a local 501(c)3 charitable organization, with the team’s full $350 entrance fee being donated to the charity they are playing for.
The Independence Bowl Foundation is accepting donations through the Community Foundation’s Give for Good for the tournament, with all donations going to the charity of the winning team of the tournament.
The eight teams currently playing in the tournament are KTAL News 6, Willis-Knighton Health System, Cintas, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Community Support Programs, Barksdale Air Force Base and the Shreveport Police Department.
All eight teams will be playing on behalf of different charities – supporting charities such as Gingerbread House, Christian Services, Humane Society of NWLA, Roy’s Kids, D&D Academic Foundation, Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club, Community Support Programs and FCA.
Additional teams can register for the tournament by emailing Director of Events and Operations, Jennifer Rider, at jennifer@independencebowl.org.
Teams for the tournament must consist of at least seven players, as play will be seven-on-seven, but alternate players are recommended. All players must be at least 14-years-old, and unlike the inaugural tournament, females are not required on each team but are encouraged to play.
The format for the tournament will be double-elimination bracket-style, with each team guaranteed at least two games.
Each game will be 25 minutes of running-clock, and the field of play will be 40 yards long.
The team that wins the tournament will have additional funds donated to the charity that they are donating to. Second and third-place teams will be awarded a trophy.
D1 Training Shreveport is the presenting sponsor of the tournament and will be giving each player on the winning team a free one-month membership, as well as giving each player in the tournament a free one-week trial.
They will also be awarding other prizes for competitions throughout the day.
The inaugural 1st & Give Charity Flag Football Tournament made it’s debut to the community events lineup on October 8, 2021. Seven notable local organizations – including KTAL, KSLA, Cintas and Roppolo’s Insulation – played in the first-year tournament. The tournament raised a total of $2,800 for seven different local charities.
Travis Burnett
A pioneer in the flag football community, Travis helped co-found the Flag Football World Championship Tour, FlagSpin and USA Flag. Featuring 15+ years of content creation for the sport of flag football, creating and managing the largest flag football tournaments on the planet, coaching experience at the youth and adult level as well as an active player with National and World Championship level experience.
