Oak Forest Park District Flag Football and Cheerleading

The Oak Forest Park District Flag Football & Cheerleading Program (OFPDFF) is comprised of youths aged 7 - 14, but not yet in High School. For 50 years, our Flag Football and Cheerleading Program has been providing quality instruction in football and cheerleading.  Our pre-season typically starts on August 1^st with practices and drill work. Our season kicks off just before Labor Day with our "Exhibition Sunday" which includes our Family Fun Fest, Punt, Pass, & Kick Competition, and exhibition games. Our regular season games are then played on Sundays, after Labor Day at various parks throughout Oak Forest. Our season concludes in November at our annual banquet.

Football Teams are divided into two divisions: Junior (ages 7-10) and Senior (ages 11-13). Each flag football team is composed of between 13 - 15 players (depending on registration size) with an adult led coaching crew. OFPDFF typically plays with a standard 11 player set with full contact blocking along with high school style offense and defense schemes. Each player will learn the fundamentals of football including offense (blocking schemes, pass route running, and running plays); defense (defensive front and cover skills); and special teams (punting and kicking).

Flag football players wear uniforms provided by the league: a football helmet, jersey, and football pants. Players are responsible for obtaining their own protective kneepads, mouth guard and rubber football cleats.

Cheerleading squads are composed of approximately 6 - 10 cheerleaders and are led by an adult coaching staff. Squads meet a couple of times during the week for practices, and cheer at their teams scheduled game on Sundays. Cheerleaders will learn various "cheers" throughout their season and showcase what they've learned at our annual "Cheer Exhibition Night." Cheerleaders wear a uniform consisting of a top, a skirt, sweatshirt and optional poms, which are handed out during the season.

BENEFITS OF OAK FOREST PARK DISTRICT FLAG FOOTBALL & CHEERLEADING:

• OFPDFF ensures that everyone has the full experience of being part of the team throughout the season. Each participant will play or cheer a minimum of 9 games.

• OFPDFF provides our participants a fun and exciting opportunity to engage in continuous action
  while learning lessons in teamwork, which help them to succeed both on and off the field.

• OFPDFF is designed to educate young people about football and cheerleading, while emphasizing participation, teamwork, and sportsmanship.

• OFPDFF also ensures each football player has the opportunity to participate in at least 50% of the plays during games.