It was the final play of the championship game. Quarterback Cora Hernandez looked down the field. The 11-year-old was trying to find a teammate who wasn’t covered by an opponent.

“I was really nervous,” Cora recalls. “Everybody’s depending on you to make the right throw at the right time.”

Then Cora threw the ball. The receiver caught it and sprinted into the end zone. Touchdown! 

No one even tried to tackle the receiver. Why? This is flag football. Tackling isn’t allowed. Instead, a player pulls a flag from the belt of an opponent with the ball. That stops the play. 

Cora is from Tampa, Florida. She plays for the Pirate Bay Krewe. They won the 11U title at the National Football League (NFL) FLAG Championships in July. They’re among the more than 2.4 million kids who play flag football in U.S. leagues. 

Far more kids play flag football than tackle football. What does this mean for football in America?   

It was the final play of the championship game. Eleven-year-old quarterback Cora Hernandez looked down the field. She searched for a teammate who wasn’t covered by an opponent.

“I was really nervous,” Cora says. “Everybody’s depending on you to make the right throw at the right time.”

Cora threw the ball. The receiver caught it and ran into the end zone. Touchdown! 

No one tried to tackle the receiver. Why? This is flag football. Tackling isn’t allowed. Instead, a player pulls a flag from the belt of an opponent with the ball. That stops the play. 

Cora is from Tampa, Florida. She plays for the Pirate Bay Krewe. They won the 11U title at the National Football League (NFL) FLAG Championships. Those games were in July. More than 2.4 million kids play flag football in the U.S. Cora and her teammates are among them.

Far more kids play flag football than tackle football. What does this mean for football in America?   

Many parents say flag football is safer than tackle football. Youth tackle football players take 15 times more hits to the head than youth flag players do. That’s according to a group called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Many of those collisions lead to concussions. Each year, thousands of kids sustain concussions while playing tackle football. Concussions are injuries caused by hits to the head that shake the brain inside the skull.

These injuries can be especially harmful to kids. Their brains are still developing. Many experts suggest that kids wait to play tackle football until they are 14 or older.

Richie Lenhart coaches both flag and tackle football in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His 5-year-old son was ready to join a team in 2019. Lenhart says his choice at the time was clear. His son would start off in flag.

“I instantly went from coach to overcautious dad because of his age,” Lenhart says. “In tackle, you’ve got to be ready to get mean and nasty and deliver blows and hits.”

Nine-year-old Zion Fielder is the quarterback on Lenhart’s Pittsburgh Elite flag team. He plays both flag football and tackle football. 

“The injuries in tackle are worse,” Zion says. “You get hit harder.”

Youth tackle football players take many hits to the head. They get 15 times more hits than youth flag players do. That’s according to experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Those collisions often lead to concussions. Each year, thousands of kids sustain concussions while playing tackle. Concussions are injuries caused by hits to the head. The hits shake the brain inside the skull.

These injuries can be extra harmful to kids. Their brains are still forming. Many experts say kids shouldn’t play tackle until they’re 14 or older. 

Richie Lenhart coaches both flag and tackle football. He coaches in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His 5-year-old son wanted to join a team in 2019. Lenhart says his choice at the time was clear. His son would start off in flag.

“I instantly went from coach to overcautious dad because of his age,” Lenhart says. “In tackle, you’ve got to be ready to get mean and nasty and deliver blows and hits.”

Nine-year-old Zion Fielder is the quarterback on Lenhart’s flag team. They’re called the Pittsburgh Elite. Zion plays both flag and tackle football. 

“The injuries in tackle are worse,” he says. “You get hit harder.”