Youth football league coming to town

Youngsters ages six to 10 in Northeast Ohio will have the opportunity to play in a new youth flag football program called Lorain Elite Flag Football League. Boys and girls of all talent and skill levels can get the chance to be a part of the first ever free skills camp Feb. 24 at the league’s home field at Lost Nation Sports, 2101 All Pro Athletic Ave. in Lorain. This camp will kick-off the spring season that begins in early March, according to Jun Rios and Markus Younkin, co-owners of the new league and who represent Lorain’s top-ranked national rec flag football team, the Northeast Ohio Monstars. Lorain’s football camp and league will open up an opportunity young children in Lorain and surrounding areas to be exposed to flag football and learn basic fundamentals of the sport, Rios said. The camp will give youngsters a safety-net while developing skills and possible interests in football, he said. Younkin said any youngster can benefit from the camp while they are learning to improve those skills.

“Especially (for myself), giving them the tools and hands-on experience that I didn’t have as a kid.” Rios said there are children who need coaches or someone else to look up to. “There’s kids out there who need this,” he said. “I want to be that guidance for the kids and at the end of the day, I want to see the smiles on their faces. That’s all that really matters.” Rios and Younkin said the league will give Lorain youngsters something to

The camp will operate similarly to a combine with 10 events or stations for the youth to participate in. The stations include a 40-yard-dash, push up competition, broad jump, 3-cone drill, vertical shuttle-run, long throw, catch drill, back pedal drill and bear crawl drill. Monstars players will help run the camp. Organizers will name a most valuable player and hand out awards for each age group, Younkin said. The first 100 athletes to register online will receive a free T-shirt representing the league, he said. After the camp, players may register in the youth flag football spring league. This league will run six weeks with teams in two age groups running roughly from ages 6 to 8 and ages 9 to 10. Teams will consist of eight players. Rios said he would like for the Lorain league to begin traveling and playing other leagues as this particular one develops. There will be a $100 players fee to participate in the league. Younkin said the league is one of a few youth programs offering services at this price. The league will include premium jerseys, similar to the Monstar’s team uniforms, made by Move In Silence Apparel Co.; an additional mid-session skills camp only available to the athletes in the league and top-level referees observing all games. There will be sponsors providing funds or their services toward the league, which can then be used to market their brand on the player’s apparel. Rios said for years, he wanted to provide a football league for children because he never had the chance to play as a child. “I want to give those kids an opportunity to make it an outlet in their life and find something they can do, and can possibly be great at,” he said. do. “What’s going to make us different from any other youth league is that we are not only offering something new for Lorain, but one of the top-ranked flag football teams in the nation will also be a part of it,” Younkin said. The camp will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Participants must be registered by Feb. 20.