Sports Connect Attends the 2021 NFL FLAG Summit

BY: Jaylen Bailey, Digital Marketing Intern

Grow the game. That was the main theme of this year’s NFL FLAG Summit.

The 2021 NFL FLAG Summit was held in Las Vegas on July 15th – 17th, celebrating 25 years since the organization was started. Being the first summit that NFL FLAG has held in person, it was a well-run and polished event with over 400 people in attendance. It was a celebration of how much the organization has grown, as member leagues both new and old were recognized. There were events and panels where speakers from NFL FLAG and multiple organizations conversed about their league’s experience and how those experiences can be improved.

The sentiment of “grow the game” was very strong during the summit with a goal of reaching two million kids playing NFL FLAG by 2030. This can be accomplished with the overall growth of the sport of flag football, increase in female participation, support of NFL Legends, as well as the continuing efforts of NFL FLAG Football and its partners.

Day one of the summit consisted of check-in and a social gathering where Tom Arnett, General Manager of Sports Connect, was fortunate enough to meet and connect with our current partners. Sean Blessing, Sports Connect Technical Support Product Specialist, and Ernie Rehrig, Stack Sports Senior Strategic Manager, were also able to have one-on-one time with current partners, training them on exclusive NFL FLAG functionality, how to use features like setting up programs and discount coupons, gathering enhancement ideas, and more.

Friday was the official kickoff of the summit with a focus on how we, as a team, are going to help grow the game. Presentations were centered around the future of NFL FLAG Football, how individual leagues can grow their brand, and how to create and grow a social presence. NFL FLAG also announced a partnership with MOJO Sports, which will help local members establish positive coaching environments for their leagues.

At the end of the day, one of our favorite moments was the tour of the new Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. The tour provided a great opportunity to socialize and network with individuals from the Raiders organization, as well as other organizations, companies, and leagues while being able to take an in-depth look at one of the newest and nicest stadiums in the NFL.

Scott Garfinkel, National Sales Manager for Sports Connect, hosted a series of presentations to showcase why Sports Connect is the proud technology provider for NFL FLAG Football and how this partnership benefits member leagues. Presentations focused on unique registration functionality and how Sports Connect can help leagues build their brands and connect with members with everything from professional websites to data insights.

Scott showcased how to build a website on Sports Connect, understand the audience that visits your website, analyze data of your current members, and recognize season over season registration trends.

Sports Connect also took part in a panel discussion about merchandise sales directly within Sports Connect player registration and how it grows the bottom line of their league. Scott alongside Brian Resto (Owner, Aim High Youth Sports), Hector Santiago (Founder Neighborhood Sports, nsports.us), Michael Tepper (Founder / League Director, Old Skewl Sports), and David Amouyal (VP; Operations & Strategy, NFL FLAG), had a great conversation on how leagues can turn additional merchandise offerings into revenue and profit.

In this video, Hector Santiago expressed how merchandise sales were handled in the past, and how Sports Connect made it easier and faster to manage merchandise than before.

The summit wrapped up with another great day of presentations, centering around running camps and tournaments, recruiting and training officials, and most importantly, growing the game for girls. Increasing female participation at the league level is a major initiative that NFL FLAG is tackling head-on and has already seen progress in some leagues. League organizers talked about how female participation has increased in their leagues, and representatives of the NAIA spoke on the path to playing flag football in college.

Overall, the 2021 NFL FLAG Summit was an overwhelming success and we were thrilled for the opportunity to meet and engage with current and future partners.

Sports Connect is the proud technology partner of NFL FLAG Football and we look forward to helping to grow the game for years to come.