STRONGSVILLE – Dave LaBahn is passionate about the game. He lived and breathed it through his years at Strongsville High School and later at Baldwin Wallace College. But as a father, he found a new passion for the game: being a coach.

After coaching with other local flag football leagues and listening to parent feedback, LaBahn said he and fellow coach and Strongsville native, Adam Palffy, wanted to try something different.

LaBahn said he noticed that kids at age 5, 6 or 7 weren’t interested in being really physical and Palffy said he didn’t want his son playing tackle football yet, or maybe at all, so he was looking for another option.

LaBahn approached other leagues about the possibility of starting an alternate kind of program, but said he was unsuccessful. So, he and Palffy decided to do something completely off-grid. They created their own football league, which they called Backyard Football.

After sharing their idea through social media and word-of-mouth, LaBahn said they had an average of 15 kids from 5-12 years old at each of the 2018 sessions in their first run as program directors. Each participant got a Backyard Football shirt, courtesy of Strongsville Dental and Laser Aesthetics.

Before the program’s second year, LaBahn came across the Jr. Browns NFL FLAG program, which sponsors organizations that provide boys and girls 5-14 years old the opportunity to play in one of the NFL’s largest organized non-contact football leagues.

For $20 per participant, being a part of the Jr. Browns gives the players two tickets to Browns Training Camp, a Browns reversible jersey, a set of flags and two tickets to a Browns preseason game.

“Joining the Jr. Browns program gave me the autonomy to run our program how we saw fit,” LaBahn said.

Palffy said the program is different due to the fact that they don’t play any real games and have 30-45- minute sessions with drills and simulations, then a half hour or so for scrimmage, as well as crafting the five-player teams differently every week to ensure that each kid gets to handle the ball multiple times per scrimmage.

“This allows them to compete against one another, but there is no scoreboard, no game clock, no referees. I feel like this helps to ease some of the pressure that kids feel when learning the game,” Palffy said.

LaBahn said they break the kids into groups, depending on age and skill level, and tailor each group’s pace to what suits them best.

The program is about more than just football, LaBahn said, and they want to teach that playing sports is a privilege, not a right, and athletes in Strongsville are held to a higher standard.

When the kids arrived at the first practice, Palffy said Dave made sure that he introduced himself to each player and did a “football handshake.”

“He taught them to shake hands firmly and look the person in the eye,” Palffy said. “Even though he calls it a football handshake to make it sound cool or tough, he manages to teach them how to be assertive and respectful. It is those types of things that make Dave a special coach. It has nothing to do with the sport of football and it is something that those kids will never realize was instilled in them at such a young age, but will add value to the rest of their lives.”

Backyard Football is a little less rigid than other programs, as well.

LaBahn shared that at the second season’s finale Aug. 24 at Strongsville High School, there was a moment when a 5-year-old did a handstand and walked on his hands. The other kids in his group followed suit.

“In a more conventional league, we coaches would have been expected to get them right back on track and focus on winning that game, which we do that in other leagues. But that night, in this league, we were able to just watch and enjoy it,” LaBahn said. “It didn’t matter who would win or lose or that it took a little bit of extra time. All the kids were laughing and high-fiving each other. And it was all under the stadium lights, which made it that much more special. Who knows which of these kids will be lucky enough to play under the lights for real one day.”

Fun is also important factor of the program.

“When I look at what Dave has created, in its most simplistic form, it is a gigantic play date,” Palffy said. “Dave provides a time and place for boys and girls where they know that we are just going to have fun playing football.”

LaBahn said the true magic behind the whole program is the parents’ support and the fact that six to eight parents roll up their sleeves each session to assist with throwing routes, calling plays and teaching concepts.

With the increasing interest, LaBahn said the last 2019 session had 49 participants and garnered 70 returning and new registered players for the next season.

LaBahn said the program is scalable and it is easy to duplicate in other communities, making its genesis more than just an experiment.

“Whether your child is nervous to try football or has played so much that they’re burnt out, bring them up. It costs next to nothing, there’s no pressure to come to every session and I’ll bet a few of your friends are here. Oh, and we’ll make you better, trust me”, LaBahn said.

Backyard Football will be back in summer of 2020. For more information, visit the program’s Facebook page or go to www.leaguelineup.com/backyardfootball.