The Park Ridge Flag Football program is committed to developing and inspiring youth athletes between the grades Pre-K and 8th for over 100 teams over decades now for our local community. Today, we offer non-contact, competitive 7 on 7 flag football ‘Kids 1st Experience’ each Fall football season, while teaching and coaching the principles and techniques of flag football in a safe and constructive environment. Under the Park Ridge Sports, Inc. umbrella as a Park Ridge Park District affiliate, we focus on teaching good sportsmanship, teamwork, mutual respect, athletic coordination, and physical fitness.

Our main objective while providing a volunteer-driven, community-based flag football league is to ensure that all athletes get the opportunity to be a part of a youth sports program that teaches the importance of competition, work ethic, overcoming adversity, having fun, and celebrating successes in sports. The coaches in this program will focus on teaching players how to be a part of an organized practice based on fundamentals, skills, and discipline. Our coaches also teach basic football strategies that will help build football IQ and an overall understanding of the game. Above winning games, our volunteer coaching will concentrate on the individual player’s development and passion for the game.

As a ‘Kids 1st Experience’ flag program, we have made several fundamentally different changes in 2025 that parents and players need to understand and consider BEFORE registering your child for our flag football program, including these highlights that focus more than ever on the kids:

• Players/Parents will first choose to return (or not) to their former team/head coach, if possible.
• Rosters will be designed with no more than 14 players by the following team prioritization:
  • Returners
  • Head Coach Requests (up to 7)
  • Teammate & Friend Requests
  • School Affiliation
  • Registration Time/Date Completed (First Come, First On)
• Co-Ed League will expand to 8 divisions, and each Division Manager will track scores/wins by opponents and create a Strength of Schedule to match prowess and create better parity.
• Rosters for known volunteer-Head Coaches should be completed by August 25th, and unknown or teams with no Head Coaches will be completed on a first come basis, or will be fully refunded by Labor Day if no Head Coach ultimately volunteers from the rosters’ sub-set of parents.
• Team Names are being consolidated largely to the Big 10 or SEC conferences team names.
• Parent Conduct will be more closely supervised by the League at weekend games, and Parent or Adult taunting, threats, loud use of profanity at any youth players or youth officials, regardless if a coach or not, once reported to ParkRidgeFlagFootball@gmail.com and Board investigated, will likely result in suspension of the ENTIRE family from Park Ridge Football and Cheer for up to the remainder of the season at the Flag League Director, Division Manager and Board’s discretion.
• Under our ‘Kids 1st Experience’, we will no longer tolerate intense, demoralizing or obnoxious coaches (Head or Assistants) in Flag football, and will pull coaches if behaviors aren’t aligned.
• No Guarantee that full teams will be carried over year after year, but each division will try and place as many friends or buddies together as possible, or add a sub-group to a new team if splitting up friends without leaving a single player isolated away from returners or schoolmates.
• Minimum Play that all players must play 14 plays or at least 1 half of each game.
  • Same-season Park Ridge Falcons players can play Flag concurrently, but not more than 2 Falcons will be allowed to be on any one Flag team.
• Running up the score will not be tolerated as defined here by winning a game by more than 4 touchdowns. Head Coach with 5 TD point differential will need to explain in writing to the Flag Director and Division Manager why it happened within 24 hours after the end of the game, and may be suspended as a result of any and all blatant ‘condoned’ unsportsmanlike behavior.
• Every team will play for either a seeded Bowl Championship trophy or a single-elimination Division Tournament trophy at the end of the season (around Halloween).

The Park Ridge Flag Football program consists of 2 groups (Co-Ed Flag Football League and All-Girls Flag Football), with 8 divisions and 3 divisions, respectively. While there are no drafts, weight restrictions, or tryouts in our league, we do REQUIRE equal playing time and some position rotations, which means ONE FANTASTIC KIDS 1st EXPERIENCE in a community-orientated league.

Our flag league was formed through many elements, inclusive of 58+ years of youth sports involvement as players, coaches, parents and everything in between. We find one of the most difficult achievements each season as Board and League Directors is striking a balance between competition and maintaining a proper perspective in youth sports (yes, especially for you parents as a local nonprofit led by parents!). Our league, the rules which govern it, along with our very limited administrative staff, constantly look to help and evaluate – and when needed alter our leagues or a specific team’s course to achieve this optimal balance. Please remember as volunteers, we are simply doing our best at helping our community’s youth play sports while managing our own careers, families, and other obligations.

WE ALL DO OUR BEST each Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the season – and hundreds of hours before it planning and preparing. We have very little tolerance for any destructive adult-to-adult criticism (unless it involves player safety), especially from other adults unwilling to sacrifice their own time volunteering with us for the betterment of these kids. Please respect that principle with our coaches and directors, and offer to help us when see a need and if you are able, including abiding by our 24 hour rule where we ask parents not to immediately talk to our coaches if upset after the game or event.

Program costs include a player jersey, shorts, use of flags, practice t-shirt, youth officials, insurance, and general management. Metal cleats are not allowed for safety reasons. Football cleats work best.
• Mouthguard is not provided, but is useful and league recommended.
• Undergear – long sleeves, tights, football gloves, and soft helmets or a beanie are allowed to keep the kids warm at player/parent’s discretion.
Please read and review our Board’s rules and policies, including terms and conditions, emergency medical release, photo and video waiver release, social media policy, player and parent/guardian code of conduct & ethics policies, and refund policy prior to registration. All are subject to change at the sole discretion of our nonprofit Board of Directors, and a Board explanation can be provided upon request.

* Minimum Age to participate is four (4) as of Sept 1st. Players play in their designated grade level. We do not allow participants to ‘play down’ by any grade level.

TRAVEL and SPRING League flag football options and analysis is currently underway, and the PRSI Board will continue to consider and plan for new programming in 2026 to meet the evolving and growing needs of Flag Football for our community. More to come, or to be a part of the future leadership of our Flag Football program, please contact Mel Thillens directly.

Due to limited field availability, we do not always have the option to make up games so we will try our best to play even in the rain. No flag games will be rescheduled if cancelled due to weather, forfeits, etc. Normally, football plays in all weather (rain/snow) unless extreme conditions like lightning. For fun, coaches can scrimmage the following the week, but no refs will be provided.