Grid irony: Israeli youth catch flag football fever

by Ron Kaplan
NJJN Staff Writer

Less than a year ago, JCC Association teamed up with the NFL Youth Football Fund to introduce after-school flag football to Israeli children and teens. Now, 350 kids are learning to punt, pass, and kick in Jerusalem, Efrat, and Hashmonaim.

The Jerusalem-based American Football in Israel (AFI) is the newest member of the partnership dedicated to promoting sportsmanship, physical fitness, and healthy lifestyle choices. Beit Shemesh and Modi’in are among additional cities that have already begun organizing their own flag football programs, many discovering the joys of the American sport for the first time.

According to AFI president Steve Liebowitz, about 300 of the kids are Israeli citizens, approximately one-third of them native-born and thus learning a sport totally new to them. Nearly one-quarter of the players are female, a result of the coalition’s effort to get girls more physically active. The remaining athletes are mostly teens visiting or studying in Israel.

The kids attend weekly instructional sessions after school, held in different localities. League and tournament play take place at AFI’s Kraft Family Stadium in Jerusalem.

Special events are also a feature of the AFI program. In March, 80 middle school students traveled to Kraft Stadium from their hometown of Har Adar for a crash course in American football. An AFI open house scheduled for this month is already heavily subscribed. More than 150 youth are registered for the event’s organized football drills and games, which will be played under the supervision of AFI staff.

Looking ahead to the coming year, Liebowitz said recruitment of more experienced coaches and the cultivation of closer ties between Israeli youth and young people from the U.S. and other countries will facilitate penetration into more cities throughout Israel. “An emphasis will be placed on well-coordinated visits by JCC Association youth groups and teams affiliated with local JCCs, so that all youngsters may meet, practice and play football together,” he said in a press release.

Sharing his vision for the global expansion of flag football, he added that among the new ideas under consideration is the creation of an international JCC/AFI Youth Tournament that would draw delegations from Israel, the U.S., and elsewhere.