Flag Football Funday a Hit with District Youths

The start of football season might still be months away, but some Eastchester youngsters took to the gridiron on Friday afternoon for an annual tradition aimed at growing interest in the sport. 

On June 6, Eastchester held its Flag Football Fun day, inviting students in grades 2-8 to come out to the EHS Turf Field and take part in a fun-filled afternoon of games supervised by current members of the football program. According to Eagles’ coach Fred DiCarlo, the event started in 2005 as a chance to build some excitement about the program heading into the summer. “We’re basically just trying to promote football and have the younger kids interact with some of the varsity players,” said DiCarlo. “Hopefully, these kids are getting a chance to see more about something they might want to do when they get older.” 

Roughly 70 aspiring football players signed up for the free event, and the EHS turf was divided into multiple mini-fields that saw the youngsters display their throwing, catching and running skills while varsity team members looked on and offered tips and words of encouragement. Redon Gecaj, a junior who will be one of Eastchester’s team captains next year, said that even though he didn’t take advantage of this opportunity during his elementary or middle school days, he fully believes this experience was a positive one for the attendees. 

‘I think it’s a great way to get kids to come out and play football, hang out with their friends and talk to some of the varsity guys. I just hope they have fun, look up to us a little bit, and maybe decide that they want to come out and play more football once they get to high school,” said Gecaj. “And now, with the growth of girls flag football at the high school, we have a lot of girls coming out to this event, which is great to see.”

Dylan Burbridge, also a varsity captain, concurred, noting that while exposing youngsters to football was the key theme of the day, the competition on the field was spirited, something that bodes well for the future of Eastchester athletics.

“You can have a good time, but events like this can also set a tone,” said Burbridge. “Kids can play a lot of sports: baseball, basketball, football, whatever they want to do. But really, it’s about having fun.”

DiCarlo added that he was heartened to see the turnout this year, explaining that watching his charges interact with the younger players gave him confidence in their willingness to step into the position of leaders for students across the district. He also said that he hopes to see more of this year’s attendees in the fall when his varsity squad suits up on Saturday afternoons.

“We really hope to see the kids come out to support us when we have our games in the fall,” he said. “It's a lot of fun; sometimes because we open this to kids in the middle school, you’ll see them here in the spring, and then in the fall you’re coaching them; but it’s a good event, the kids are getting exercise, and it’s a great day for the community.”