Brooklyn, NY – What began as a series of pickup games in an effort to provide a group of Borough Park residents with a healthy outlet has evolved into a full scale formal flag football league that was so well received that, due to space limitations, had to turn away as many applicants as it accepted.
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With a roster of forty players, the Borough Park Flag Football League is now winding down its second successful year with players hailing from all over the tri state area including Borough Park, Williamsburg, Flatbush, Marine Park, Queens, Lakewood and Monsey. Games are played every Sunday morning at 92nd Street and Cropsey Avenue with game temperatures ranging from twelve to seventy degrees, depending on the season.
“This all started with a bunch of guys who, like so many others, needed an outlet, something kosher to do,” explained Eli S.., one of the founding players. “We decided to give football a shot. It was never an organized thing. Every week we would make calls to see who was coming. Some weeks it was ten guys. Other weeks it was three on three. It is tough when you are in an environment where everything is frowned upon. This is a good thing and I encouraged people to join us.”
The games took on more of a formal nature with the addition of an official commissioner who created proper teams and a schedule. In its inaugural season, the BPFFL featured four five man teams. News of the league spread via word of mouth and the league’s website www.bpffl.com and by the second year, eighty applications had been submitted for the forty available positions, which now included ten players per team. Players were drafted for the team based on the results of qualification tests which were run on the field, with the top forty applicants selected for the league.
“We wish we could have accommodated everyone, but we have to work with what we have,” Commissioner Vilma told VIN News. “It was hard enough to get the two fields we currently use. The demand for more is there, but we need the facilities. It was very difficult to tell people that they weren’t drafted, but we tell people not to give up and to try again next year.”
Currently players range in age from eighteen to thirty two years old and as the BPFFL enters playoff season and looks ahead to next year, the league is hoping to add two more teams in order to be able to accommodate additional participants.
“We have guys with beards, guy with payos, guys who are tremendous athletes, you would never believe it just by looking at them,” said Commissioner Vilma. “We give out trophies every season for best quarterback, most valuable player, best lineman, best defensive player, rookie of the year. It drives people to be the best they can be. The guys have such a good time. It makes me feel so good to see them enjoying themselves.”
good story hope it succeeds nice clean fun
everybody needs a little down time or fun time very healthy.
hope there will be not to many naysayers
Nothing wrong with playing baseball, actually its healthy and it should be encouraged, but to become official and create commisions, this is taking it too much, we have to remember that we are jews, and we have a more deeper and meaningfull life then throwing a ball.
And I don’t think its a great chinuch to show our kids that we celebrate and idolize good players.
GO VILMA GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for all the effort you put into this!!!!
Unbelievable… saw that play coming from a mile away based on where the DB was playing. Have no idea why the DB was positioning himself outside the receiver. The easiest throw for a QB is toward the middle of the field. The DB should have forced the WR to go outside. It’s a harder throw for the QB to throw a “fade” or an “out route” than to throw a seam pass over a wide open middle of the field. At least if you force the WR outside you have the boundary as an extra defender.
Could thing I wasn’t this DB’s coach 😉
Keep it up!! Here in Flatbush kids join the frum leagues and love it!! Who cares if the principal has a cow? Get with the program!!
Power Up go take a cold shower. I have a son & grandson in the league & many dear friends. I am as proud as can be of all of them. Just for your information they have a steady shiur & I wish you & your family members are as erlich as they are.
(Not saying you’re not) all I’m saying you can do both have fun & learn. If I hear more negitivity I just might put in an application myself.
GO BPFFL
GO ELI
GO VILMA & Mazel Tov
PS; Power Up by the it’s not Baseball
great idea when can i join?
What a chillul hashem I smell a kol koreh in the air.
Congratulation to the Green Gangstas on their playoff win! Mordy looked like Dan Fuchs, Stern looked like Steve Largent and Werther looked like Lynn Swan and Rod Woodson all rolled into one.
Good luck against Red!
this a great idea for the frum oilem its another outlet you can release your energy and stress I think ppl should learn from BPFFL and commissioner Vilma and start doing the same for baseball ,basketball, soccer etc.
BPFFL keep up the good work!!!
Go strong and stand tall
I’m all for it. There’s nothing wrong with playing a game of football, baseball, or basketball. We need such clean and kosher activities today. They provide a healthy outlet for our stress-filled lives. I personally know a well respected Rosh Yeshivah who told me he would build a swimming pool for his bochurim if he could. We must however be on guard and know where to draw the line. There are risks. To engage in any such activity purely for the health benefit (physical and psychological) is one thing. But, if we ever get to a point where we chas v’shalom begin to absorb the prevailing attitudes, language, mannerisms, and the very low level hashkafas of the non-Jewish sports world, then we will have suffered a much greater loss than any gain we had hoped for.
the tanya writes that shnei anoshim hamisavkim zeh im zeh that two wrestlers even if one of them has more power the one who is more bizrizes will be menatzei’ach his opponent zrizin makdimin a zuriz bam shpielen iz a zuriz bam lernen
Go Vilma Go…… Keep it up……
This is an excellent development. It will increase the players’ appetites for chulent and kishka.
My rebbe used to say: את לרבות תלמידי חכמים
“ess” (i.e. eating) increases (the size of) talmidei chachamim.
Why do we have to mix fun with yiddishkeit??
Can’t we just have some fun for the sake of having fun and everyone who has a problem minds their own business??
This is a great idea!
Exercise and have a BALL doing it at the same time! Go BPFFL!!!
אז מען שפילט באלל (אדער ח”ו מען פארט א בייק) איז מען דאך א שייגעץ, נו א שייגעץ קען דאך שוין מחלל שבת זיין
If this is your attitude, then good luck with your kids. It’s no wonder that some sects (read: chassiduses) have much more issues with at-risk teens than others.
The bpffl is a great outlet for chassidic people like myself to go out and get some well deserved fun and healthy exercise.. Thanks comish vilmah and go RED!!