Bring Stafford's flag football program home.

I'm a Stafford parent, not affiliated with any league or board — I'm posting this because I think

our community deserves to know what's going on with our kids' flag football program, and

because I believe there's a better path forward.

If your child played this season, it probably looked fine from the sideline. Games ran, coaches

showed up, kids had fun. That's because Stafford volunteers and Stafford coaches made it work

— often by covering the gaps themselves.

Here's what you might not see from the sideline. The board that governs our program is based

outside Stafford, and its members are rarely if ever on our fields. The South Conference —

which includes Stafford — makes up just over half of the entire program's registrants this fall.

Despite that, South Conference has zero representation on the governing board. The towns

carrying the program don't get a vote in how it's run — including basic decisions like field and

game scheduling that should reflect what actually works for our town.

Families paid roughly $165 a player this season. Coaches across 27 teams (10U and up) were

issued a total of 11 footballs. No cones. No coach's bags. Scoreboards that still don't work.

Coaches buy equipment out of pocket. Parents cover the concession stand.

The program works despite how it's run, not because of it. And every season Stafford grows

while still holding zero seats at the table.

I'm asking Stafford Township to approve the transition of youth flag football to local, nonprofit

governance.There's already a credible option ready to step in: the Southern Ocean Flag Football Association

(SOFFA), a Stafford-based 501(c)(3) made up of former league administrators and longtime

community volunteers who've already shown they can run this. Same fields. Same practices

and games. Same volunteer coaches. Same age divisions. What would change is who's

accountable — and who decides how the program grows.

A seat at the table, not just a share of the players. South Conference makes up just over half of

the program's total registrants — and has zero seats on the board that governs it. Local,

nonprofit governance would mean the people running the program are Stafford residents — the

same people standing on the sideline every Saturday, making decisions about scheduling,

fields, and games that actually make sense for our town.

Know where your money goes. Local governance would mean Stafford parents and volunteers

decide how Stafford registration fees are spent — equipment, working scoreboards, and yes,

paid referees if that's what the community wants. At roughly $165 a player, there's room in the

budget for it; the decision on how to use that room should belong to Stafford.

Freedom to pursue what's best for each athlete. Families shouldn't be boxed in by restrictions

on co-ed play, outside opportunities, or how competitive teams are formed. Current

non-compete rules penalize families for pursuing outside travel, tournament, or showcase

opportunities — even when those are clearly the best path for their athlete, especially for older

kids and girls chasing higher-level exposure. Team and roster decisions should be based on

ability, effort, and fit — nothing else.

More for the kids. A Pro Bowl / All-Star game, Players of the Week, skills clinics, speed and

agility sessions — right here in town. Local sponsors have already shown interest in funding

exactly this kind of event. Stafford shouldn't have to wait on approval from somewhere else to

make it happen.

Why SOFFA specifically. This isn't a startup idea with no track record. The people behind

SOFFA have run the Southern Conference for four years and ran the Sunset Pickup Series here

in Stafford this summer — roughly 100 kids a week. They already have a board, bylaws,

insurance, background checks, financial oversight, and codes of conduct in place. Several

board members have young kids of their own in this program — they're not passing through,

they're invested in getting this right for the long haul.

What would stay exactly the same: the same fields, the same practices and games, the same

volunteer coaches, the same age divisions. Families get continuity — plus a program that's

finally accountable to the people it serves.

Stafford's fields, Stafford's kids, over half the program's players — and no seat at the table

deciding how it's run. If you agree it's time for that to change, please sign and share.

Amy Otte

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