The *Sportsbians of NYC are gearing up to host Gay Bowl XIX

*Click here to watch NYC Gay Bowl bid video

New York State of Mind Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Uptown, what now?! Let's make it happen! After winning by the slimmest of margins, New York is ready to get to work on planning Gay Bowl XIX. But for the women of the NYGFL (or Sportbians* as they like to be called), hosting the tournament has taken on additional meaning to them. Talking with players in the women's division, they reminisced about their first Gay Bowl experience and how it has changed their lives. Tierney Bryce recalls getting off the bus at the fields in Denver and immediately feeling at home. For her, and many other women in the league, football was not a sport she was allowed to play growing up or it simply did not exist as an option. She "geeked out" that she was finally able to participate at a national/international level. Now Tierney feels lucky that New York can host a tournament that has allowed her, and others, to create amazing friendships. The excitement among the women is palpable. Players got goosebumps as they started talking about host a Gay Bowl in NYC and alumni of the league have already started offering to volunteer in any way they can. There is a strong community of past and present players eager to show the NGFFL what makes their league and their city so special. As Briana Jacobson stated, "the energy and support that you feel when playing in your city is something that raises the feeling of pride and love for a league that means so much to the community of Sportsbians." Vanessa Villanova added, "New York has consistently sent men's and women's teams to cities throughout the US to participate in Gay Bowl and various other tournaments. It's exciting to pay it back to those cities by hosting in our hometown." And for the women in particular, "it is an incredible opportunity to bring like-minded female athletes together in one place to compete and be social, an opportunity that otherwise wouldn't exist." In addition, the New York women are keen on honoring the history of the Women's Division in both the NGFFL and the NYGFL and doing what they can to ensure it continues to grow and thrive. By bringing the tournament to NYC, NYGFL players who have not been able to attend other Gay Bowls will now be able to create a better connection to the tournament. They will get to see first hand, the magical impact that Gay Bowl can have and the history that can be made. *Sportsbian (noun) - a woman with an ironic love of balls [as defined by Amanda Metcalf]

Taking Strides: The Women of the Phoenix Fahrenheit Prepare to Heat up Denver

Malia Smith is showing everyone watching how to charge in and make an impact. She joined the NGFFL family via the PGFFL in 2017. One year later, her credentials rival some of the most notable veterans. She has played in two Phoenix seasons: the 4-on-4 Fall season, and the more recent 7-on-7 Spring season (where she was already voted captain). She has already travelled to two national tournaments, where she was a force for Phoenix in both, the Aloha Classic and the Sin City Shoot Out. So what’s next for Malia Smith? Well…building a women’s travel team and league for Phoenix, of course!

In one of the NGFFL’s most dominant cities, dominant through play on the field, community service, and overall leadership, there was one essential element lacking – a strong women’s presence. However, thanks to the efforts of Malia Smith, with the mentorship of her veteran brethren on the PGFFL Board, the Phoenix Fahrenheit was born.

Malia used the excitement surrounding Pride Celebrations to build excitement for the women’s team in Phoenix. The result…23 women showed up to play with her and joined the PGFFL Spring league. The ladies not only joined the PGFFL, they also committed to Gay Bowl XVIII in Denver! After the Spring Season in the PGFFL, 17 of the 23 women players remained, but they are already preparing for the challenges of the Gay Bowl tournament, practicing with and learning from the men’s travel teams on everything from game strategies to personal footwork on the field – in Phoenix, it is a family effort. With two sponsors already on board (Cash Bar and Lounge, as well as 2601 on Central) the Phoenix Fahrenheit are poised to heat things up in Denver.

While the ladies are preparing for Denver, two of their players will travel to play on a co-ed team with the Phoenix men in Chicago for Pride Bowl, Malia Smith and Kaylee Parker. Be sure to welcome the ladies to the NGFFL family should you see them in Chicago.

*More to come on the women of Phoenix as the team develops and moves forward.

You Be The Ref Answers 6/5/18

Here are your answers to You Be The Ref!

1) A1 is illegally in motion at the snap. A2 throws a legal forward pass that is intercepted by B3, who scores a touchdown.

a. The penalty is obviously declined.

All 5-yard penalties that occur during a touchdown scoring play are automatically declined (rule 8.3.7). Any dead ball fouls that occur after the touchdown or live ball fouls that occur and carry a 10-yard penalty do carry-over and can be enforced on either the try or the start of the next possession at the 15-yard line.

2) A5 catches the ball at B's 15-yard line, and advances to B's 3-yard line, where he/she fumbles the ball forward, and the ball first touches the ground on the sideline beyond the goal line.

d. The ball is returned to the spot where A5 lost possession and the down counts.

All forward fumbles are returned to the spot where the runner lost possession (rules 4.3.3 & 7.4.4).

3) With six minutes to go in the second half, an official signals the game clock to stop when he sees A1 limping from a twisted ankle. Within 20 seconds, A1 says he feels fine and wants to remain in the game. Team B is then granted a charged team timeout.

a. A1 must leave the game for at least one down.

If the clock is stopped for an apparently injured player, that player must sit out for at least one down unless a half-time occurs (rule 9.6.3.b).

Module VIII

90+ Days to Gay Bowl:  Planning for Success

With Gay Bowl XVIII approximately three months away, teams from across North America are readying for the competition in Denver.  Most importantly, team captains/travel team coordinators are beginning preparations for their teams. 

We’ve asked several former Gay Bowl team captains or coaches to share their best practices and important points to remember as you get ready for Denver: 

Team Formation:

·         Establish clear responsibilities for what you as a team captain/coach are accountable for with your local league’s board and leadership.

o   Determine how team members will be selected—draft or open registration, deadlines, if/how will additional players be added post-deadline (injury or drop outs)

·         Decide if you are going to delegate any of your duties.

o   Will there be offensive and defensive captains/assistant coaches? If so, what are their specific responsibilities?

o   Will travel arrangements and other duties be handled by a travel coordinator? If so, what are their specific responsibilities?

·         Determine player responsibilities once selected for Gay Bowl team.

o   Will a registration fee be due to secure spot on team? Is it non-refundable?

o   Will players be expected to assist in fundraising?

o   Any consequences for missing practices or other events?

·         Decide on a team philosophy.

o   Will only the best players on the team get playing time? Or will every team member have equal playing time?

o   Going to Denver to compete for championship or going to have a good time?

o   Are all players aware of the philosophy and expectations?

·         Establish reliable communication channels to keep all team members informed of practices and other events.

o   Consider utilizing the GroupMe app or a private FB group (or both to ensure messages are properly relayed to all)

o   You may also want to utilize other social media platforms to keep non-player supporters up to date as to the team’s progress

Weeks Leading to Tournament:

·         Decide on a team name.

o   Will you use the name of prior years’ teams? Or will you do a new name?

§  Make this decision sooner than later as other elements (logos, uniforms, other merchandise) depends on this decision

o   What logo will you use?

§  Confirm with stakeholders (NGFFL Gay Bowl Liaison and Denver Host Committee) that they have your proper team logo

·         Create a budget and determine fundraising options.

o   Determine what the team will pay, what the local league will pay and what individual players will pay (you may have to back into this number after adding up all of the costs)

o   Costs to consider:

§  Airfare to/from Denver

§  Hotels

§  Tournament registration fee

§  Transportation around Denver

§  Uniforms

§  Equipment

§  Team dinner

§  Other team swag (t-shirts, bags, etc.)

o   Look for fundraiser/sponsorship opportunities:

§  Local businesses being the title sponsor of the team, the uniforms or equipment

§  Consider doing Gay Bowl-specific fundraiser events (pool parties, shot boys at local bars or beer busts, car washes, etc.)

o   Depending upon budget decisions, determine who will make the following reservations/arrangements and make them sooner than later:

§  Airfare for players

§  Host hotel rooms

§  Local rental cars (if necessary)

§  If the league won’t make reservations for airfare and hotel, how will you confirm that the players have made them?

o   If budgeted, determine who will be responsible for getting new uniforms, additional equipment (flags, balls), other team swag items.

§  Ordering new uniforms take time to produce, so make sure you order them with plenty of production time—you’ll have to know sizes and numbers of all your players (so your roster should be finalized before you do this step).

§  For uniforms, consult the Gay Bowl rules for the requirements.

§  Determine who will transport all the equipment to Denver and the fields. 

·         Determine where and when to hold team practices

o   Will it conflict with local league play?

o   Will you leverage local league teams to scrimmage against?

o   Will each practice focus on offense or defense or both?

o   Will players have a specific position to play?

o   Will you have enough back up players for possible injuries at the tournament?

·         Confirm that all players have been formally registered for the tournament

At the Tournament:

·         Ensure that you or another representative attends the Captains Meeting held on the afternoon of Thursday, September 13.

·         Confirm that all players have completed check-in at the tournament

·         Encourage all players to attend the Opening Ceremonies so you know when and who you’ll be playing on Friday, September 14.

o   Still communicate to all team members when first games will be held and when/where to meet

·         Develop a good relationship with the referees—make sure you are part of the introductions at the beginning of the game

o   You are responsible to manage team members during the games so working with the referees help tremendously.

·         Utilize social media channels to keep sponsors and supporters up to date on your team’s progress

o   Suggest all players use similar hashtag for all social media posts for the team

·         If budgeted, make arrangements for a team dinner on either Friday or Saturday night of the tournament

o   Then encourage players to attend other social events on those evenings

·         Encourage all team members to attend the Closing Ceremonies on Sunday, September 16.

After the Tournament:

·         Collect all equipment and uniforms that will be used for other tournaments

·         Hold a team dinner or closing social to celebrate success and fun

·         Write down (for future reference) any lessons learned for either yourself or next year’s coach/captain so you don’t make the same mistakes again next year!