Robert Butler has dedicated the last ten years of his life to youth flag football. As the commissioner of the Greene County Flag Football League (GCFFL) for half a decade and a coach for a decade, Butler’s passion for the sport is evident. He began his journey when his son joined the league, and since then, he has been eager to share the joy of the game with as many people as possible.
“This program is fantastic, and I can’t praise it enough,” Butler expressed. “The kids absolutely love it. It’s a great way for them to form lasting friendships.”
The GCFFL currently has six divisions for ages 5-17. Each season consists of a six-game regular season, two playoff rounds, and a championship game. The seasons run from August to October and are held at the Coxsackie-Athens school grounds. Butler believes that the league is most successful when children from different districts across Greene County come together to play flag football.
“We have kids from various schools playing against each other. They later compete on the soccer field, the football field, or the basketball court. This adds a layer of sportsmanship to the games and makes them more enjoyable to watch,” he added.
The league, formerly known as Coxsackie-Athens Flag Football, underwent a rebranding process about 5-6 years ago to increase its accessibility, according to Butler.
“We wanted to reach out to other schools and communities and let them know that this program is available for kids who might not play school sports, or who do play sports but want to stay active doing other things,” he explained.
The league is co-ed and prides itself on its inclusivity. Butler emphasized, “No one is turned away, whether due to a disability or financial reasons. If a child has special needs, we pair them with coaches who have a proven track record of working effectively with special needs individuals.”
Butler recalled a challenging moment in 2020 when he had to convince the Coxsackie-Athens school district to allow flag football during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once they received approval, they managed to enroll 140 kids in a successful season. The following year, enrollment surged to 225.
“I believe the increase in enrollment was due to more advertising and the fact that we were providing an activity for kids during COVID when everything else was shut down,” he said.
Since then, the league has consistently enrolled over 200 kids per season, with four teams per division, except for the 9-11 age bracket, which includes eight teams. After COVID, the 11-15 age bracket, which previously struggled to fill three teams, had enough players for six teams before splitting into two new divisions last year.
The youngest division, for ages 5-6, focuses more on instruction than on playing games.
“Every weekend, they participate in drills, and at the end of the day, they play a scrimmage game or a game of Sharks and Minnows. This helps them learn how to play the game,” Butler explained.
One of the coaches who has worked with the league’s youngest players is Evin Hill. He started in the GCFFL in 2017 and 2018 when his son was in the 5-8 age bracket. He is also a Capital Region Pop Warner coach and a board member for Ravena Mid-Hudson Pop Warner.
As the upcoming Coxsackie-Athens high school football coach, Hill believes that coaching flag football has helped him connect with the community, especially as a Las Vegas native.
“Coaching flag football allowed me to build relationships with people in the community. They trusted me with their kids at a young age, and they saw my passion for the game and for teaching football. This has helped me form many friendships and gain the trust of adults in the community,” he said.
Hill fondly remembers leading a last-place team to an upset victory over the top team in the first round of the playoffs during his second season coaching the 9-11 group.
“The kids were ecstatic. They were thrilled to beat a team with a better record than us. It showed their grit and their ability to overcome obstacles,” Hill recalled.
Another league coach, Kyle Olmstead, who became a local Pop Warner coach after joining the GCFFL in 2021, had never coached or played football before joining the league. Despite this, he has nothing but positive things to say about his first experience with the sport.
“My son loves it. Every kid that I’ve coached has returned. They get a full experience, from the great uniforms to the referees,” he said.
Olmstead views the GCFFL as an opportunity for children to experience significant growth in a short period of time.
“It’s hard to describe the pride I feel seeing the kids progress over the course of a year. They overcome challenges, grow as a team, and develop as individual athletes. That’s definitely the most rewarding aspect of it,” he said.
Butler, who has had many memorable moments with the GCFFL, from coaching teams to the championship game five times to leading the league as commissioner through the pandemic, hopes that the league will continue to be a valuable experience for kids in Greene County.
“I want to ensure that when my son finishes playing and I retire as commissioner, the next person will inherit a well-established organization that they can continue to grow without having to reinvent anything,” he said.
Registration for this year’s league ends on Aug. 18. Online signups can be done at https://clubs.bluesombrero.com/greenecountyflag.
This sounds like a great opportunity for the community to come together and support youth athletics.
I agree with this initiative to expand the flag football league in Greene County. It’s important to provide opportunities for youth to stay active and engaged in sports, especially after the challenges of the pandemic.
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