Calvary Day School opens second season of youth flag football league

Registration was underway for the second season of the Under the Lights Flag Football League at Calvary Day School, giving Savannah families another organized place to put young players on the field. The league returned with a full schedule, not just a clinic, and its second run showed there was enough demand to bring it back. It opened the door for children who were just starting in football as well as those looking for a structured, low-contact fall sport.

The season began with a skills clinic on Aug. 31, then team practices started Sept. 8. The six-game slate opened Sept. 14, and a week of playoffs was set for Oct. 26. All of the league’s activity took place at Calvary Day School in Savannah, keeping practices, games and postseason play on one campus.

The league was open to boys and girls from kindergarten through fourth grade, putting it among the earliest organized football opportunities available to local children. Under the Lights describes itself as a national youth flag football league powered by Under Armour, serving kids from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade with an emphasis on a competitive, confidence-building, non-contact experience for all skill levels. That mix fit first-time players, multi-sport children and girls entering the game without the collisions that can keep some families away from tackle football at this age.

Calvary Day School Athletics said registration was open and that the league would run weekly through October, a schedule that fit neatly into the school year and gave parents a clear fall timeline. In Savannah, where youth sports often grow through school and neighborhood connections, that kind of built-in structure can matter as much as the games themselves.

The return also came against a broader backdrop of flag football’s rise in Georgia. The sport became an official high school offering in 2020, and by 2023 more than 300 high school programs were expected to compete in the state that fall, more than triple the number from the inaugural season. Local coaches and the City of Savannah had also been pushing to get more girls involved before high school, making youth leagues like this one part of the same pipeline.

Calvary Day’s role in that pipeline went beyond the youth level. In June, the Cavaliers were headed to Canton, Georgia, for Unrivaled Flag Football Nationals for the first time, giving the school a spot on the national stage and underscoring how quickly flag football had moved from introductory league play to serious competition.