Registration open for Flag football

 SportsKlub Flag Football enters new era with the Spring 2026 season in Orillia

SportsKlub Flag Football registration is officially open for the Spring 2026 season, marking the start of a new chapter for one of Orillia’s most popular adult recreational sports communities.

The upcoming season will feature a full schedule of weekly games, signature event weekends, and the league’s first-ever season using the new NFL FLAG format, a major evolution that keeps SportsKlub football fast, competitive, and safe while creating a more wide-open style of play.

This spring’s calendar is highlighted by three marquee event weekends that have become staples in the SportsKlub experience, beginning with the return of the Bunny Bowl. The Spring 2026 season will open with the special two-day event, featuring games on Friday, April 3 and Sunday, April 5.

Later in the season, players can look forward to the Birthday Bowl double header on Sunday, May 17, a tradition built around big-game energy, packed rosters, and a full day of football. The season will then build toward its championship finale, Power Bowl 39, set for Sunday, June 21.

Most games are currently scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Sunday's under the league’s four-team format. However, SportsKlub says an additional 8 p.m. time slot could be added if registration numbers allow for more teams to be included this spring. All games will take place at the West Orillia Sports Complex.

Along with the season schedule, Spring 2026 will also be remembered as the year SportsKlub officially transitions from its long-running two-hand touch format to NFL FLAG rules and game structure, marking the most significant evolution in league history.

The move aligns SportsKlub with the fastest-growing version of football in North America, a format built around speed, skill, and safety, while preserving the strategy, competition, and excitement that have defined the league since its earliest days.

Under NFL FLAG rules, football remains fast and physical without contact. There is no tackling, blocking, diving, or screening. Instead, every player wears a belt with two flags, and a ball-carrier is “tackled” when a defender cleanly pulls a flag from their waist.

The ball is ruled dead the moment a flag is pulled, the ball-carrier steps out of bounds, the ball touches the ground, or any part of the player’s body other than their hands or feet touches the turf.

Games will be played in a 5-on-5 format, creating wide-open, high-scoring football where every player is eligible to catch a pass. The field will measure 30 yards wide by 65 yards long, with 10-yard end zones on each side and a midfield line that creates a new set of downs.

Each team will start possessions on its own five-yard line and will have four downs to cross midfield. Once across midfield, offenses will have three downs to score a touchdown. If a team fails to reach midfield, they can either go for it or “punt,” handing possession to the opposing team at its own five-yard line.

A quarterback has seven seconds to release the ball after the snap. Once the ball is handed off, pitched, or lateraled backward behind the line of scrimmage, that time limit disappears and any player can throw a forward pass. Quarterbacks may not run across the line of scrimmage with the ball, but they can hand it off and then become eligible receivers.

On defense, a maximum of two designated rushers may pressure the quarterback from a seven-yard rush line, and all rushers must identify themselves before the snap. Once the ball is handed off or lateraled, any defender may rush.

Scoring follows traditional football structure: touchdowns are worth six points, safeties two, with conversions from the five-yard line (one point) or 10-yard line (two points). Interceptions can be returned for touchdowns, including on conversion attempts, and backward passes intercepted behind the line of scrimmage can also be advanced for scores.

Penalties are enforced with a simple standard: all offensive penalties result in a loss of down and yardage, while all defensive penalties result in an automatic first down, ensuring the game remains fast and fluid.

Registration for Spring 2026 costs $125, and spots are limited. Players of all skill and experience levels are welcome, with SportsKlub continuing to focus on fun, community, and the kind of football environment where everyone can get involved.