As I mentioned in my last article the NCCS Committee began to look strategically at the next 5 years for all of the NCCS sports properties. The underlying emphasis is to bring the extramural championships to the next level by formulating a “true” national champion, and Flag Football is the first sport we tackled. Listed below is the 5 year plan for growth and development of the sport:
2009/2010 Championships - Will be an “open” format in that any colligate or military team is eligible to register and play.
2010-2011 Championships – Will be a “modified open” format, which any collegiate or military team that has participated at a NCCS Regional tournament will be eligible to register and play
2011-2012 Championships – Will shift to an qualifying tournament, which top teams in each division (up to 4) qualify from every NCCS Regional. That would allow for a 48 team tournament, (24Mens, 12Womens, 12Co-Rec or 16Mens, 16Womens, 16 Co-Rec, depending on the saturation of teams). If a qualifying team can’t attend the tournament a waiting list will be made, and replacements will be drawn from the waiting list. The waiting list can consist of NCCS regional participants only.
2012-2013 Championships - Same as 2012
2013-2014 Championships – Tournament format will stay the same as in 2012 and 2013, with the exception that the waiting list would be derived from the order of finish at each NCCS regional tournament. For instance, if the 2nd place from the Region 4 tournament was unable to attend, one of the quarter final teams would receive the invite.
The NCCS is committed to providing travel stipends for the teams that finish first, in each division, at each NCCS regional for all five years. However, as the committee continues to solve the puzzle of balancing the budget this may change positively or negatively in the years to come.
The focus of this plan is twofold, 1) increase the growth at the regional level and 2) create a quality National Championship. In this down economy when our participants and institutions are restricted with how much extra funding they may have, a regional tournament can hopefully be more affordable while still providing a great opportunity for the student participants. By moving to a format where all teams have to participate at the regional level to be eligible for Nationals, we hope to see an increase in teams at the regionals. That growth at the regional level can increase the benefits of hosting, as well as looking further into the future to seeing more regional sites added to accommodate that growth, which means more professionals and students can experience the benefits of hosting a tournament.
The second focus is to create a “true” national champion at the Championships. By qualifying through a regional, the National Championship takes on a more serious tone and provides an experience that no one else can provide to the students. The NCCS committee has been working closely with the NIRSA National Center to continue to add enhancements to the National Championships to be a truly unique event for the student participant, professional volunteer, and student volunteers.
Check the NCCS Web page for a listing of the upcoming Flag Football Regional hosts, the first one starts Oct 17. http://www.nirsa.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Sports/FlagFootball/flag_football.htm
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6 comments:
Hi Lisa & Committee,
I'm very intrigued by the 5 year plan and I think it is certainly a way to try and develop a true "national champion". Has there been any talk of expanding the number of regional sites once the tournament goes to teams that participate at an NCCS regional site? Also, will the national tournament continue to rotate sites every 2 years and be easily accessible? Obviously, Northeast and West Coast teams have increased travel costs in getting to sites with a need to fly over southern teams that tend to drive, so site location is crucial if we want more than one team from those regionals to participate.
Thanks for posting this update!
Lisa,
Why are we continuing to include military teams in a collegiate environment? Aren't we look for a collegiate national champ? I feel the military is great, but a separate entity that should not be allowed to compete in NCCS or NIRSA events.
Hi Lisa & NCCS Committee,
Thank you for the information about Flag Football. Is there any consideration towards including the winning teams and selected officials (2) of the (few remaining) state tournaments?
I have been apart of the Michigan State Flag Football Tournament as either an official or clinician for the past 9 years. Prior to this year, we have been able to send two officials and a team, if they chose to attend, to the NIRSA National Tournament. This year we will be selecting two "at-large" officials to be included at nationals only if they are needed.
Being apart of the Extramural Committee in Michigan, I think we need to consider the sustainability of a tournament, if the teams and officials are not playing/working for the incentive of attending nationals.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated!
Nicole
Hi Lisa & NCCS Committee,
Thank you for the updates about the NCCS Flag Football National Tournament. I am wondering if there has been any discussion about including the winning teams and/or officials of the (few remaining) State Tournaments?
I have been apart of the Michigan State Flag Football Tournament as either an official or clinician for the past nine years. Up to this year, we have been able to send our winning team and top two officials to the NIRSA National Flag Football Tournament (or NCCS the past few years). For this year, we are nominating two officials as “at-large” officials, to be accepted to nationals if the need exists.
In moving forward with future planning for the Michigan State Flag Football Tournament, it seems crucial to know whether or not teams and/or officials will be included in the NCCS National Tournament.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Nicole Green-Valentine
Hey Lisa, I think those teams that have won the national championships in the past ARE true national champions. I am always puzzled that we don’t consider the way things have ran in the past to be a true national championship. In my opinion if you win the national championship, you are the national champions. Also, NIRSA has a long history with the military, dating back to the early years of our association. Military bases have civilians operating their fitness centers, coordinating their intramural programs, and running their fitness programs, they ARE recreational professionals. Those who serve in the military are college aged kids who chose to serve instead of go to college. Some of these folks are NIRSA members and NIRSA institutional members as well. If we don’t want them to participate in NCCS events then we should not let them join NIRSA, which I think would be a travesty. Just another point of view. K Klier
While I truly understand the need to manage costs - especially in this economy - I didn't really get "the love" for the game until I attended the Nationals. We were lousy, and we were summarily destroyed by a formidable foe, but it was nonetheless a life-changing event.
If you require regional participation, those like myself coould possibly miss out on the kind of experience that keeps you coming back for more. Additionally, some teams may not be able to muster up the loot to make it to a both a regional and the Nationals, and (given the choice) would likely choose the later rather than the former.
Truthfully, I have no dog in this fight. In fact, I personally think that you NEED a regional under you belt (even if it’s an unaffiliated one...) in order to get a measure of where you are as a team. But... Perhaps you could allow teams to apply for a small number (eight or less…) of “at-large bids” to participate. That way, you can kill two birds (open participation and predictable costs) with one stone.
What I'd really like to see, however, is a "dual bracket" format where winners and runner-ups in pools advance to the "championship bracket" for all of the marbles while the teams that would normally be eliminated would participate in a "consolation bracket". You'd basically crown an NCAA and an NIT champion of a sort. This would only make sense for divisions where you had 16 or more teams. People would stay longer, dumping more funding into the local economy. It would also enrich the experience for the borderline teams, giving them more impetus to return the following year.
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