Flag Football Pin

[pack524cm]

We don't play Flag Football in our community but we do play regular football starting in the Third Grade (Bear). Have you allowed your boys to substituted regular football to obtain the Sport and Academic Flag Football Pin. As the cubmaster I don't see this being a major issue. My den leaders do.

[dsteele]

Welcome to the forums!

 

The official answer to your question can be found in the Guide to Safe Scouting. The BSA does not permit contact sports. Tackling in regular football puts it in the category of contact sports.

 

Now please understand that when I go from memory there's a possibility that I am wrong. I don't have the Guide To Safe Scouting in front of me, but it is available under publications at the National BSA website -- www.scouting.org

 

Have fun with your pack.

 

DS

[molscouter]

dsteele is correct, tackle football is a prohibited activity. However, some of the skills from regular football practice would apply to flag (throwing, catching). If the enough kids are interested, have a flag game as part of a activity; it might enable those kids who prefer to play soccer or don't play any sport to get the beltloop without having to be on a team.

[Twocubdad]

I'm understanding the question to be "Can we count having played a real football game as credit for the award?" not "Can we oranize a real football game among our Scouts for the award?"

 

Clearly, the answer to the second question is no, real football is not an approved Scout activity.

 

As to the first, I'd wouldn't allow the boys to count their play in a real football team toward the pin. Flag football is different enough from real football so as not to be interchangable. Of course much of the knowledge and skills are.

 

Why not set up a flag football game on one of your outings? We did that as an afternoon activity on a campout last fall. A couple of sports-oriented dads were more than glad to run the program and gave all the regular Scout leaders a hour or two off. We used surveyor's flagging tape for the flags, just tucked into the boys' belt or pants. The boys all had a good time doing it.

[fotoscout]

It must be that time of year. I had a dad ask me the same question last night. My answer was no! I told him that we might try to set up a flag football game in the spring.

[NWScouter]

The following activities have been declared unauthorized and restricted by the Boy Scouts of America:

Varsity football teams and interscholastic or club football competition and activities are unauthorized activities.

 

I find football as described in the G2SS to prohibit Troops and Packs from joining in leagues, in other words you would not sponsor a team in the park departments flag or tackle football. A game of flag football at a troop outing or pack picnic would be all right. It makes no mention of tackle football though I would hope that any adult leadership would stop that by common sense.

 

[pack524cm]

Thank you for the input. As the CM for 107 boys a lot issues come up weekly from the parents. I contacted the parent that had there boy playing football and explained the Guide to Safe Scouting handbook and that we could not substitute the flag football belt loop / pins. I explained that the BSA does not permit contact sports. Tackling in regular football puts it in the category of contact sports.

 

He was upset and agreed to put together a flag football program in the spring, but still feels that the BSA needs to catch up with the 21st century on what boys enjoy doing. I explained that we have more than enough sports and academic options available to teach the boys new and exciting things. He's not happy and may leave the pack. Great Dad but really too intense at times.

 

[dsteele]

I'm sorry to hear the father was upset and I hope he doesn't leave the program because it doesn't allow for tackling people.

 

I don't have a problem with football other than I don't enjoy watching it. I'm just not a sports fan, but that has nothing to do with the rule.

 

I did have to chuckle at his comment about BSA needing to catch up to what boys want to do. It made me think of the things I wanted to do when I was a Cub Scout age boy -- many of which were unsafe -- like jumping from the roof of a friend's garage using a sheet as a parachute. It didn't slow me down much.

 

I did play sports at that age -- football and baseball. I wasn't very good at either one, but there were community leagues I could join. However, I never expected a Cub Scout badge for it.

 

Now we have a Cub Scout award for flag football and I think it's a pretty good compromise. If the Cub Scout participates in regular football through his own desires and a community group, there's nothing wrong with that. He just won't earn a pin from the BSA for it.

 

I took a few karate lessons as a Cub Scout age boy as well. It's a restricted activity by the BSA -- but since my involvement in karate had nothing to do at all with my membership in the Cub Scouts, it was my mother and father's decision and not the BSA's.

 

Didn't get any badges for the karate either.

 

DS