PICTURES: Highland Wildcats hope primary school flag football festival can spark resurgence of sport in Inverness and surrounding areas
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Highland Wildcats hope that a festival for primary school pupils can kickstart interest in flag football again in the younger age groups.
The club used to regularly run flag football sessions at primary levels, and at one stage there was even a national league featuring teams across Scotland.
On occasion, the Wildcats would even take groups over to America to compete, but a change in governance hit the younger ages badly and only in recent years has it begun to trend upwards again.
Earlier this week, though, the club held a flag football festival for 11 primary schools in and around the Inverness area, and the hope is that it will fuel a resurgence going forward.
“This was just a friendly tournament, but it used to be that the top teams would qualify for the Scottish finals, then the UK, then the world finals,” Wildcats development officer Robbie Paulin explained.
“That’s what we’ll probably be aiming to do next year, but we haven’t done it in quite a while and this was one of the bigger things we’ve ever done.
“It’s also something that, over the last five or six weeks, hasn’t been coached by us – it has been the teachers doing it.
“Instantly when you’ve got people directly in the school there is a huge difference in the promotion of it.
“They are so enthusiastic, all we have to do is teach them the game and we’ve got these highly skilled, enthusiastic, connected people ready to deliver stuff in schools. The amount of time they have put into it has been fantastic.”
Paulin has been delighted with the feedback from the festival so far, and believes the only way is up from this point on.
“At the very worst, kids have had this experience in primary school, and then when they are old enough to play for the Wildcats they step up,” he added.
“The best case scenario is that we get a Wildcats team in that age group.
“That way, the ones who are really keen and want to go on to the next level can get a bit more.
“Definitely, keeping it going in schools is a big thing.
“I’ve seen the word ‘buzzing’ in so many emails over the last few days since the tournament, so I hope they’re going to keep that going.
“I know the coach from the NFL is committing to coming up and up-skilling with the current teachers, but also doing another course to get new teachers as well.
“The idea is that we keep expanding it really.”
