NLS Flag Football has been a Saturday tradition for Main Line kids season after season. Coached by Kyle, Chris, Kevin, and a crew that has been with the program for years, run as an official NFL Flag league, and built for every kid from first-timers to year-round players. Fall and Spring, boys and girls welcome.
What NLS Flag Football Looks Like
A typical NLS practice starts with warmups and footwork, moves into position work, and ends with live play. Kids learn the parts of the game that make football click: route running, reading the field, pulling flags, throwing mechanics, catching in traffic, and the kind of teamwork that turns a group of kids into an offense and a defense. The coaching crew runs every session with structure and energy, and with a real sense of what each player is ready for next.
Some kids come in already throwing tight spirals. Others have never played a down. NLS Flag Football is built for that full range. The kid who is brand new to the sport gets a chance to learn the fundamentals at the right speed, and the kid who plays year-round gets pushed to keep growing. Every player leaves the season a better football player than they were when they started, and that’s what we’re after.
SEASON
Fall and Spring
DAYS
Saturdays
LOCATION
Penn Wynne Park, Ardmore PA
AGES
Boys and Girls, Grades K-8
Why Lower Merion Families Come Back
- A focus on the Fundamentals
We believe the fundamentals are what grow a young football player, on and off the field. Route running, footwork, reading the field, pulling flags, throwing and catching cleanly, playing as a team. Our coaches walk the line between letting kids have fun and teaching them the parts of the game that will serve them for years, because both matter and one without the other doesn’t work. - NFL Flag Affiliated
NLS Flag Football runs as an official NFL Flag program. That means our season runs inside the framework of the largest youth flag football organization in the country, with a tested approach to how the game is taught and how the league is run. - Coach Kyle, Coach Chris, Coach Kevin, and the Crew
Football at NLS is led by Coach Kyle alongside Coach Chris, Coach Kevin, and a coaching crew that has been with the program for years. They know the game, they know the kids, and parents tell us the coaching is what brings them back season after season. - Voted Best Youth Sports Program in Lower Merion
NLS has been serving Main Line families since 2006 and has been voted Best Youth Sports Program in Lower Merion Township multiple years running. That recognition comes from the same parents whose kids play in our programs every week.
What NLS Stands For
- Experienced coaches invested in your kid
Every NLS coach is hired for two things: they know what they’re teaching, and they care about the kids they’re teaching it to. Parents tell us all the time that the coaching is the difference, and we work to keep it that way. - Focus on the fundamentals
A lot of youth programs roll the balls out and let the kids play. We don’t. We believe the fundamentals are the building blocks of a kid’s growth on and off the field, and we strike a real balance between letting kids have fun and teaching them the parts of the game that will serve them for years. - Year-round community
A lot of NLS families stick with us across multiple programs throughout the year. The friendships kids build and the coaches they get to know carry across seasons, which is part of why so many of our families have been with us for years.
NLS Girls Flag Football
Flag football is the fastest-growing girls’ sport in the country, and Next Level Sports is gearing up for our fall girls flag season. It’s the same great program our families already know, the same coaching and the same NLS energy, built just for girls.
Every experience level is welcome, whether your daughter is stepping onto the field for the very first time or already knows her way around the game. We’ll help her build skills, make friends, and grow her confidence right alongside her teammates.
We’re excited to watch this one grow, and we’d love for your daughter to be part of it from the start.
FORMAT
5-Week Clinic
DAYS
Wednesday Evenings
LOCATION
Cowan Park, 201 Radnor Street Rd, Radnor PA
AGES
Grades 3-8
COST
$125 for 5 weeks, or $35 drop-in
Questions Parents Ask
Is this tackle football?
No. NLS Flag Football is non-contact. Players wear flag belts and a play ends when a defender pulls a flag from the ball carrier. There is no tackling and no helmets or pads required.
My kid has never played football. Will they be lost?
No. A lot of the kids in the program are brand new to football. The season is built to teach the fundamentals from the ground up, and divisions are organized so first-time players are learning alongside other first-time players.
My kid plays travel ball or rec football. Will they be challenged?
Yes. The older and more competitive divisions move at a real pace with real play-calling and route running. Experienced players get pushed by the coaches and by other strong players in their division.
What equipment does my kid need?
Cleats are recommended but not required. Athletic clothing for the weather. Players need a mouthpiece, which they can bring on their own or buy from us on the field. NLS provides the flag belts, footballs, and any other gear needed. Players receive an NLS jersey to wear on game day.
Is the program co-ed?
Yes, the main flag football program is open to boys and girls. We also run a Girls Flag Football Clinic separately for families who want a girls-only environment. See below.
What if it rains?
Saturdays run rain or shine unless it is raining very hard or there is lightning. If a Saturday needs to be cancelled or moved, parents are notified directly as far in advance as possible.
What if we have to miss a Saturday?
No worries. Miss a week, we’ll catch you the next one. The season is built with enough flexibility that one or two missed sessions doesn’t set a kid back.
Are there scholarships available?
Yes. NLS Grow is our scholarship arm and exists to make sure cost doesn’t keep a kid out of the program. Reach out to Coach Joni directly to ask about scholarship availability for flag football.
Refund and Credit Policy
Refunds:
A refund, minus the credit card processing fee of 3%, will be issued one week before the start of the upcoming session except for documented injuries/illness.
Partial Credits:
A partial credit will be issued 72 hours before the start of each session to be used within one year of purchase. This partial credit will be minus 20% for administrative/processing fees and the cost of the jersey, except for documented injuries.
Once the program has begun, a partial program credit minus items listed above will be issued instead, except for documented injuries.
For any inquiries or to process a refund/credit, please email us at joni@nlsports.org. Thank you for your understanding!
A Saturday Tradition for Main Line Families
Fall and Spring at Penn Wynne, year after year. NFL Flag football coached by Kyle, Chris, Kevin, and the crew, in a program that has been voted Best Youth Sports Program in Lower Merion Township by the families who actually play here. Get on the list and we’ll let you know the second registration opens.
Questions? Email Coach Joni at joni@nlsports.org.