What is Next Level Flag Football?

In 2012 Coach Patrick Walsh, Head Football Coach of Serra High School in San Mateo, CA and his partner, Co-Founder, Lance Smith, started Next Level Flag Football. The concept: Build a unique youth sports experience through the employment of High School Student Athletes serving the role as Student Head Coach/Mentors with games played on the Serra High School Football Field. Over the past 8 years Next Level Flag has added over 30 partner sites and has grown from 400 kids in one state to well over 10,000 kids in multiple states. We are thrilled to now bring our brand of Youth Sports to Arizona! We want your kids to love Next Level Flag so much that they sleep in their uniforms! 

• Community Centric League- Kids play with their classmates and/or buddies! Parents get to enjoy weekend games within their social circles or create new ones. Why not be able to hang out with your friends while enjoying the game of football/basketball (or any sport)?

• Site Directors - Each Next Level location is staffed and operated by one of the best High School varsity football/basketball coaches in their respective areas - Next Level only partners with the best quality coaches/mentors in our communities. Each Site Director acts to oversee and guide each location and their own Student Athletes!

• Student Athlete Head Coach/Mentors - All teams within Next Level Flag Football and Hoops are coached by High School football players in their respective communities with oversight and training from their Site Director (their High School head coach). Our young athletes have a 'different voice' and influential element outside of the normal parental coaching element.

• Kids First Organization - The focus at Next Level is on (1) the youth participants, (2) the High School student athlete coaches.....(X) Everyone else! The league appreciates all the parental support it receives from Parent Assistant Coaches to Team Moms to Grandparents making sure their Grandchild can get to a game. But the focus is on the kids!

• Open League Participation - Next Level is open to both boys and girls from Kindergarten to 7th Grade (8th Grade in some locations via other programs). Any previous football/basketball experience is NOT REQUIRED! There are no tryouts, there are no combines...

• Grade Based League - We firmly believe having participants play within their grade level accomplishes the most 'symmetry' within an age range. We have acute perception of where children advance both socially, athletically and behaviorally. We feel kids are best served in the game of football with kids of their relative development - grade based leagues match this better than other methods.

• Kids Will Be Known - League President Patrick Walsh like's to say, "you child will be known and will be loved!" To create a unique bond with the league and their peers, each child will be braced as an individual - they will begin each season with a personalized jersey (choice of number and name listed on the back) which will represent them as an individual. Wear them to school, wear them to the supermarket...just wear them proudly!

• One Trophy League - Next Level is a 'one trophy league', only one team will go home with the Champions trophy at the end of the season. There are many of life's best lessons learned via winning, losing and competition. Our league supports recognition and support of character, but not artificial support provided by a trophy merely for 'participation'. 

• Unique Balance - This league was formed through many elements, inclusive of 40+ years of youth sports involvement as players, coaches, parents and everything in between. The most difficult achievement is a balance between competition and maintaining a proper perspective in youth sports (yes, even for you parents!). Our league, the rules which govern it, along with our staff constantly evaluate and alter our course to achieve this balance.