NEW ORLEANS-AREA YOUTH FOOTBALL PLAYERS BEGIN JOURNEY THIS SATURDAY TO NFL FLAG CHAMPIONSHIP AT PRO BOWL

WHO:             Youth flag football players and families from across Louisiana, Florida and Tennessee

WHAT:           Boys and girls ages 9 to 14 will compete in the round-robin, single-day NFL FLAG powered by USA Football Regional Tournament, conducted by USA Football in partnership with the New Orleans Saints.

Winning youth teams from each age bracket (9-10 coed; 11-12 coed; 13-14 boys; 13-14 girls) will advance to the NFL FLAG Championships at Pro Bowl on Jan. 23-27 in Orlando, Florida.

Nearly 40 flag teams from the following cities will compete at the USA Football-run regional in Metairie:

• Bartlett, Tenn.

• Kenner, La.

• Metairie, La.

• Miami, Fla.

• Pensacola, Fla.

• Slidell, La.

• Thibodaux, La.

In addition to the Saints, NFL FLAG powered by USA Football Regional Tournaments in 2018 are hosted by the following NFL teams: the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

WHEN:           Saturday, Oct. 13; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT

WHERE:         Ochsner Sports Performance Center

                        5800 Airline Dr.

                        Metairie, LA 70003

ON-SITE CONTACT:            Elizabeth Faust, USA Football, 423-276-3042

NFL FLAG powered by USA Football promotes physical fitness and teaches the sport’s values and life skills on and off the field to nearly 400,000 young people. A non-contact version of traditional football offered for boys and girls ages 5-17 in cities across the country, the program emphasizes fun, safety, teamwork, self-esteem, discipline and goal-setting.

USA Football, a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is the sport’s national governing body and the official youth football development partner of the NFL, the Saints and each of the league’s other 31 teams.

For more information on NFL FLAG powered by USA Football visit www.NFLFLAG.com.

About USA Football:  USA Football designs and delivers premier educational, developmental and competitive programs to advance and grow the sport. As the sport’s national governing body, member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and organizer of the U.S. National Team for international competition, USA Football partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experiences for youth, high school and other amateur players.