Book your Gay Bowl XVII Hotel Today!

Now that another Pride Bowl is in the books, it is time to set our eyes on Boston!  There will be lots more details to come about the exciting events and additions to this years tournament over the coming weeks, but first, it is time to book your hotel rooms to ensure a wicked good time at Gay Bowl XVII!  

Due to the ever-growing size of the tournament, this year there will be TWO official Gay Bowl hotels located directly across the street from one anotherin the heart of Boston's Back Bay.  The primary host hotel - The Revere Hotel - will feature player registration, the official happy hour spot and is directly connected to the parking garage that is available for all players staying in either location.  We are first opening the room block at the Revere (link below) and then when it is close to capacity, we will open the block across the Street at the Park Plaza. 

The room rate is $279 per night for 2 queen beds at both locations which is a very competitive price for Columbus Day Weekend in Boston.  We highly encourage all teams to stay at the host hotels because if we do not fill our room blocks, rates may increase for all players, so please be sure to encourage all your teammates to reserve. The fields are located approximately 50 minutes west of the city so players will need to rent personal vehicles, but all evening events are within walking distance of the hotel so you will be in a prime location!  Nightly parking will be available at the garage located at the Revere Hotel at a deep discount. 

Please click here to reserve your rooms!  

http://tinyurl.com/revere-natl-lgbtq-tournament

And be sure to please follow us on social media:

Facebook: NGFFLGayBowl

Instagram: gaybowlxvii

Snapchat: GayBowlXVII

Twitter: @GayBowlXVII

Please be sure to email Danny Tyrrell (danny@flagflagfootball.com) or Dave Hamitlon (dave@flagflagfootball.com) if you have any questions at all!

Hope this helps!

Danny & Dave

Gay Bowl XVII Tournament Directors

Champions from Around the League

You Be the Ref June 2017 Edition

1)  TRUE or FALSE?  Team B can commit pass interference during an illegal forward pass.

2)  What's the ruling?  4th & 15.  K announces a protected punt.  The clock is running with 1:10 left in the 1st half when the ball is snapped.  K2 snaps the ball to K3, who holds the ball for 6 or 7 seconds, then punts it out of bounds.

3)  What's the ruling?  K1's untouched punt is rolling, then comes to a stop.  K5 places a hand on it, but does not gain possession.  R4 then grabs the ball and races for a touchdown.

ANSWERS:

1)  FALSE.  Rule 7.5.7 says that no player of A or B shall interfere with an opponent beyond the line of scrimmage during a LEGAL forward pass play. If covering official judges the contact to be excessive, a live ball foul for unnecessary roughness may still be enforced.

2)  The referee will enforce a penalty for delay of game.  Rule 6.1.6 says that an attempt to punt must occur immediately after the punter receives the snapped ball.  If accepted, a 5-yard penalty is enforced from the previous spot and the referee should reset the game clock to 1:10 and start the clock on the kick.  If team A had wanted to run time off of the clock, they should have delayed the snap until just 1 or 2 seconds were remaining on the play clock.

3)  The ball is dead when K5 touches it.  Rule 4.2.1.h says that the ball becomes dead and the down is ended when any member of the kicking team catches or possesses a kicked ball or touches a grounded, kicked ball.  Ball is dead and belongs to team R at the spot of K5's touching.

SAVAGE Apparel is all-in for NGFFL teams.

SAVAGE Apparel is all-in for NGFFL teams. 

They've had the change to work with a few and create some killer designs.  To work with SAVAGE and access exclusive deals for NGFFL teams, just email sales@savgeultimate.com and let them know what you're looking to get.  With dedicated art assistance, setup fees, and shipping all included in their price, SAVAGE wants their partnership with the NGFFL to be game-changer for your on-field apparel. 

Make sure SAVAGE is your first stop when considering traveling for tournaments so that you'll leave plenty of time to receive your gear! 

Beyond teams, SAVAGE has experience working with leagues providing simple quality customized apparel for league needs.  Their deal for the NGFFL includes jerseys and t-shirts built for performance and comfort. 

Propose a Rule Change for Gay Bowl

Attention, players, captains, city leaders and referees!  

Have you been thinking about a rule change that could make our games better?  The deadline for submitting new rule changes for the 2017 & 2018 NGFFL rule book is coming up -- 11:59pm on Thursday, 6/15!

All proposals will first be considered by the NGFFL board, and if they achieve a majority vote, will be passed along to the member cities for consideration.

Submit your idea here: 

 https://goo.gl/forms/8fy75ZffQsOgvuJv2

C-Division is Coming!

Get ready!  In Boston, we'll be crowning Gay Bowl's first ever C Division Champion!  

Recently, the NGFFL Board approved the Gay Bowl Task Force's recommendation to include a C division at Gay Bowl XVII in Boston.  As was the Task Force's recommendation, the C division won't be a traditional division from start to finish in 2017.  Instead, this year's tournament will feature two divisions of Pod play in the Open bracket - the A division and the B/C division.  Similar to recent tournaments, teams will register and be placed in the division in which they finished at the previous Gay Bowl tournament, with the top 16 teams being placed in the A division and the remaining teams, including any teams that did not participate in the previous year's tournament, being placed in the B/C division.  

Once Pod play has been completed, the B/C division will be separated into two playoff brackets based on the ranking system already in use.  

The number of teams that will compete in the B and C playoff brackets will be determined by the total number of teams participating in Gay Bowl XVII.  For example, if there are 40 Open Division teams, 16 will compete for the A bracket championship, 16 will compete for the B bracket championship and 8 will compete for the newly-created C bracket championship.    

Hall of Fame Nominations Now Open

Each year, the NGFFL honors extraordinary athletes, leaders and contributors, who have played a pivotal role in its success.  If you know someone who has been instrumental in this way, we request your consideration to in submitting their application for the 2017 Hall of Fame.

QUALIFICATIONS:   Any member of a NGFFL city (player, manager, coach, referee or significant contributor), living or deceased, who has been an active member for a minimum of seven years. Nominees should have made significant to extraordinary contributions to their leagues and/or NGFFL,  through excellence on and off the field.

ENTRY PROCESS:  Nominations are submitted by any individual or group who is familiar with the candidate’s contributions and able speak on their behalf. When completing the nomination, each nominee must identify an advocate. An advocate is a primary point of contact who is willing to speak on behalf of the nominee proactively or as called upon.

ENTRY SOURCE AND DOCUMENTS: Hall of Fame nominations should be submitted online document (mandatory) via NGFFL.com.  While voluntary, nominees and/or advocates may also include a video highlighting their contributions in three minutes or less. 

TIMELINE:  Nominations are due by 7/1, 11:59 PM PST.  Winners are announced in early October, with a ceremony to follow Gay Bowl weekend. Questions, please reach out to Brandon Waggoner @ brandon@ngffl.com or Thurman Williams @ thurman.williams@me.com.