I got a chance to ask Herbie Sayles, the current Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League (GPFFL) commissioner some questions about what the Philadelphia Flag Football community is like, and to get a better look at their amazing league. I also got introduced to some phenomenal leaders and players in the league as well!
James: Hi Herbie, thank you for letting me ask you some question! Right off the bat, can you tell me a little abut how did the Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League get started?
Herbie: The Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League or GPFFL got started by someone who originally played in the Boston Flag Football League, Scott Dinkins. Scott was our league’s first commissioner and he continues to play in our league today. The GPFFL’s original by-laws were molded out of Boston’s and have changed as new board members have served. The GPFFL had humble beginnings with only 12 members and was more of a pick-up play format. As the years have passed, our numbers have increased and now we have 10 teams in both the Spring and Fall Seasons.
James: How many members are in the league now?
Herbie: The league has grown from a 12 person pick-up season in our infancy to 130 players in each of our Spring and Fall seasons. We will be potentially sending three teams to the open division for Gay Bowl this year and have just started a Women’s team that will be competing.
James: Speaking of that, it's really exciting that Philadelphia is home to Gay Bowl XIV, how is that preparation going?/ Any exciting things you can share?
Herbie: Our Gay Bowl committee has been had at work for almost two years. This was such a great opportunity for our league to bring the National tournament back to the East Coast. Under the guidance of Gary Isaacs and Tom Ensminger our co-chairs, the Gay Bowl committee has hosted numerous fundraising events from a Poker Tournament to a Flip Cup Tournament. In addition to Tom and Gary, the committee consist of a hospitality chair, Ken Levitt; Matt Pitucco our Tournament Director; Garrett Lierman our Finance directory, Tim Adams our Events coordinator, Bo Banwo our Resources and Community Relations Chair, Han Meadway our Policies & Procedures chair, and Marianne Mondt our Marketing chair. The GPFFL members have shown great enthusiasm about the tournament and have already begun volunteering under the various committee chairs. Philadelphia is a great “walking city” and all of our host bars will be easy to travel by foot too, as our “Gayboorhood” stretches over a few blocks, you will not need a cab to get to your next bar.
James: Wow, that’s quite an undertaking! Sounds awesome! Back to the GPFFL, what are some players say about your league?
Herbie: Our league is a total melting pot of players. We have members who have been here since it was created five years ago to players who are here for school and only play one season. The GPFFL caters to all skill levels and encourages growth of players to become leaders. I would say that each member is looking for something different in our league. We have players who are strictly playing because they love football and competition and we have players who love the social aspect and came to make friends and hang out after the games. I would hope that the players we have are getting something they are looking for out our league and that if they see an area that needs improvement whether it be communication, refs, or anything, that they feel comfortable approaching myself or any board member or captain. Some individuals I would like to introduce you. Meet Carmen Gervasio, the heart of our league, Julie Chovanes, a two-time league captain, and Gary Isaacs, one of the co-chair of Gay Bowl XIV!
James: It’s nice to meet you! Carmen, How do you think the GPFFL helps the Philadelphia LGBT Community?
Carmen: Aside from providing a safe and fun environment for LGBT athletes to enjoy American Flag Football, the GPFFL is very active in Outreach in our community. We pride ourselves in giving back to our community. We established an Outreach program very early on in our league and it is part of our mission. The GPFFL has volunteered and partnered with many community organizations such as ActionAIDS, MANNA, DVLF, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We even have our own fundraisers for our community partner ActionAIDS. " The Big Game Event " and Halloween's Heroes vs. Villains. We were the first sports organization in the country to do an " It Gets Better " video. Our Outreach efforts energize us and put us right in front of our community off the field. It's a labor of love and one that I am particularly very proud of. Here's a link from our website on more info about how we help our community. (http://www.phillyflagfootball.com/#!past-events/c1y3u)
James: Thank you Carmen, Julie, I heard that not only have you been a captain, but you have also won a season championship as well! What was that experience like?
Julie: IT was awesome! I and my co-captain Curt Heintzelman (and it was mostly Curt's doing) worked hard during the season to make sure we had a good team going into the playoffs. We worked hard and executed and the reward was to win a championship -- one of the best ever, with one of the best teams ever in my 45 years of playing and coaching football!!!
...and I am the head coach for the Philly Lightning, our women's team in Gay Bowl 2014!
James: Wow Julie!! That is awesome! Gay Bowl Captain woo-hoo! So, speaking of Gay Bowl, Gary, What has been your experience with putting together Gay Bowl XIV in Philadelphia?
Gary: Working as co-chair of the Gay Bowl XIV Committee has been a challenging and fulfilling experience. The team of folks I've been working with are very dedicated to making GB XIV the best Gay Bowl yet. As all prior host city/host committee members know, there are a myriad of details that need to be coordinated and, like planning any major event, countless hours are spent working through 
them with the others on the host committee. We are attempting to introduce some elements to the event that haven't been done before to enhance the player/fan experience. The games will be played regardless but we are working to make the venue a 'flag football festival' type of environment that has GB XIV as its marquee event. We are also incorporating a new transportation option to shuttle players and fans to/from the host hotel and fields, and are working with various prominent city contacts in the LGBT community to build excitement and hopefully provide all attendees with a true "taste of Philly" while they are in town!
James: THIS IS AMAZING GARY!! I can’t thank you enough for taking on this huge undertaking, and it looks like you are going to make the entire NGFFL community proud with all your hard work and excitement! Thank you for your commitment and dedication!!
James: So, Herbie, back to you, as a commissioner of the league, what are your goals for the league?
Herbie: My mission or goal as commissioner is too ensure everyone in the league enjoys playing and remains connected to the GPFFL even if they are no longer able to play. I have played and currently play on many other Gay sports teams in Philadelphia and have been able to see the pros and cons of being a member of those leagues and taken those experiences to help the GPFFL.
I love the fact that there is a draft each season and the captain pairings change and that players are getting to play with new players each season and making new friends, this is something I hope never changes. I hope that our traveling teams are able to continuously improve in tournament play and that their time in different cities builds team unity.
We have recently added a Women’s Traveling team this year and I already see the excitement going through the roof after their first tournament in New Jersey this past weekend in both personal emails and on Facebook. As our players retire or get injured I like to find areas where they can still help out, whether it be to train to be a ref, join a committee or assist with our traveling teams.
We are philanthropic league and are always looking to volunteer whether it be Action Aids and sponsoring Gay Bingo (a first this year also) or collecting food during Thanksgiving for our local food banks. I am very fortunate to have 4 other board members who together we work as a team for the common good. As a board we may not always agree on a subject, but nothing would ever be accomplished or improved if we did.
This year will also be the year where we start a Hall of Fame to honor our players for their hard work and dedication to our league, something that I know will mean a lot to players who have given a lot of themselves to the league both on and off the fields. At the end of my term though, I hope that I have acted on behalf of the players and that my decisions along with my fellow board members Brian Sell, Carmen Gervasio, Garrett Lierman, and Chris Solano and they can come to me with good and bad criticism and that I take their input to heart.
James: Thank you Herbie for your genuine reflection on your time as commissioner and sharing all your goals! I am sure your GPFFL league members are so proud of you for all your accomplishments! Thank you so much for letting me take the time to chat with you, and I can’t wait to see everything Philadelphia at Gay Bowl XIV on October 9-12, 2014!!
For more information about the GPFFL, I encourage you to stop by their amazing website at: http://www.phillyflagfootball.com/
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