Coaches

What we expect

Coaches follow the NFL FLAG philosophy, our coaching guidelines and the code of conduct, with good sportsmanship above all.

• Know the rules. Most game-night problems are avoided when coaches know our home field rules well.
• Play every child. Every player has a starting position on offense or defense. Everyone plays and everyone sits.
• Keep parents informed about practice days and times, and anything that changes.
• Keep practices fun and age-appropriate. The youngest players are 5.
• Own your sideline. Two coaches per team on the sideline. Coaches keep their team's families in the viewing area, at least 5 yards off the field.
• Respect the officials. You may politely ask for a clarification, but arguing isn't allowed and all calls are final.

Your season

1. Draft Day. Players work through a combine while coaches grade them from a numbered player list, then coaches draft their teams. Draft order is a random drawing, and the draft runs snake style. A coach's child counts as that coach's 3rd-round pick (a second child the 5th, a third the 7th), and trades must be even.
2. Practices start once teams are set, usually about a week after Draft Day: typically once a week, with extra sessions as needed. Post your team's practice (below) so families can find it on the practices page and add it to their calendars.
3. Game nights are Fridays from January, with kickoffs at 6:00, 7:00 and 8:00 PM. Each week's schedule has every matchup, field and kickoff time.

Coaches and volunteers park in the lot by the Englewood Area Athletic Association (EAAA) building.

Setting your team's practice

Once teams are set, add your team's weekly practice in the site dashboard (ask the program director for access):

1. Open Practices and add a new entry.
2. Pick your division, and type your team exactly as it appears on the game schedule.
3. Choose the day (Monday to Thursday; Friday is game night), the time (5:00, 6:00 or 7:00 PM; practices are an hour long) and the field (1–9).
4. Add a first practice date if it isn't the week after Draft Day, and a note for any exceptions, like "No practice December 24".

The site updates a few minutes after you save. Double-check that the team name matches the schedule and that no other team has your field at that time.

Drills and plays

NFL FLAG has free coaching resources: drills for quarterbacks, receivers, running backs, flag pulling, agility and conditioning, plus plays. Their playbooks are written for 5-on-5, so adapt them for our 6-on-6 game, and remember that pitches and laterals aren't allowed in our league.