The "Capital District" region of the New York State encompasses a large area running
from approximately Lake George in the north to the Catskill Mountains
in the south, the stateline in the east to the city of Amsterdam in the
west. Four major cities anchor it's corners: Albany, Saratoga Springs,
Schenectady, and Troy. Always a hotbed for H.S. football, unorganized
"touch football" began popping up during the 1960's and 1970's in the major
cities. An area that is flush with colleges, local players also became
familar with flag football from their intermural programs.
During the
mid-1980's, informal flag football leagues consisting of 4 to 8 teams each
became popular in Albany and Scotia, a suburb of Schenectady. In 1990,
George Higgins decided to hold a "New York State Flag & Touch Football
Championship" that August. His league on Long Island had grown during
the 1980's and his teams were hungry for out-of-town competition.
With
it's central location and readymade identity as the state capital, Higgins
chose Albany as the site of the first ever flag/touch football tournament
in New York State. Teams from every corner of the state descended on Nott
Rd. Park in Guilderland that summer, firmly establishing the sport forever
more throughout the state. Higgins saw the potential for a large league
in the Capital District. It had all the same qualities that made his Long
Island league a success: plenty of parks and a young, football intense
population.
One
of the local coaches who had played in the State tournament was Brian
Peek. Higgins knew that Peek could bring all the small leagues into
one big league. In the summer of 1991 they set out to do just that.
Using the rules and tactics that made the Long Island Flag Football
League the largest in the country, by September 1991 the firstever Kick-Off
of the Capital District Flag Football League took place at Collins Park
in Scotia. Brian Peek became the league's 1st Commissioner and the league
followed it's first Fall season with it's first Spring season in 1992.
A "B" Division was also added that season for the sake of parity. The
league continued to grow and in late 1993, Brian Peek decided to leave
for another business opportunity in California.
One of the small, local
leagues that hadn't become part of the CDFFL in 1991 was the Albany
Flag Football League. It's Commissioner, Frank Rogers, agreed to met
with Higgins and, in 1994, Frank Rogers became the 2nd Commissioner
of the CDFFL With the CDFFL 's 40+ teams and Rogers' 8 additional
teams, the league now became a 50+ league with three separate divisions:
"A", "B" and "C". Under Roger's direction, the Capital District Flag Football
League has grown into one of the premier leagues in the nation. It's
60+ teams have played in Giants Stadium, have numerous national champions,
and enjoy one of the best run leagues anywhere. Local papers carry each
week's standings and this website keeps it's players informed of up
to the minute flag football news from around the globe. A "youth program",
sponsored by the NY Giants, has the CDFFL in the forefront of the
NFL's efforts to increase football's popularity among today's youth.
The CDFFL plays full seasons in the Spring and the Fall, and an
indoor-league during the Winter. For info on joining the CDFFL,
just click on the "Registration Info" icon for the next season available.