Team Insight

TEAM FOOTBALL getting uniform and equipment orders placed for the next fall. "Our goal is to get all orders placed by February of every year so we get everything back in time for the beginning of the season in August," Dunn explains. Baker's has established itself as one of the leading team dealers in the Southeast, especially in football circles. "We sell to five colleges, at least 200 high schools and roughly 80 youth football pro- grams in Florida, Georgia and Alabama," says owner Josh Baker, adding that the dealer also reconditions between 35,000 and 38,000 football helmets a year. In addition to Baker's Sporting Goods, Baker also owns a separate company that manufac- tures shoulder pads under the Pro Sport label, a popular item with the football teams that buy from Baker's. And out West in Colorado Springs, CO, the football business for Blick Sporting Goods "wasn't that good" in 2021 and 2022, according to owner Chuck Melbuer, but it has been better this year although the uniform business has not been as profitable as it has been in past years. "I think many schools decided to get another year out of their uniforms," says Melbuer, who does business with junior high schools and high school throughout the entire state. "Next year should be a better year for football uniform sales." 1ST QUARTER Participation & Sales Trends Flag Football Data. Flag football's popularity is soaring in the U.S. and internationally. e annual participation study from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) reveals that in 2022, in terms of overall participation, there were 7.1 million flag football players in the U.S., of which 5.8 million are male and 1.3 million are female. Of those 7.1 million, 2.4 million are classified as core participants who play 13 days or more a year; 40 percent of all flag football players are age 6-17 year olds; and 55 percent are between the ages of 6 and 24. More Flag Facts: More than 59 percent of players are Caucasian; 51 percent are from households that make at least $75,000 a year; 42 percent have not earned a high school diploma; and 25 percent live in the South Atlantic region. Besides playing flag football, the five most popular athletic and recreational activities for flag football players are basketball, bowling, baseball, camping and working out on the treadmill. Tackle Football Data. According to SFIA, overall participation in tackle football – for ages six and above – is trending in the right direction, but has not made a complete recovery from concerns ranging from concussions and overall safety to the COVID pandemic. On the plus side, in 2022, there were 5.4 million tackle football players, up from 5.1 million in 2019. However, there were only 2.3 million core participants — those who play 26 days or more a year. By contrast, in 2019 there were 2.7 million core players and in 2017 there were 3.1 million. Not surprisingly, 91 percent of all football players in the U.S. are male and 60 percent are between the ages of six and 17. High School Tackle Football Findings. Eleven-player tackle football remains the most popular high school sport, with more than one million participants, according to the NFHS. In fact, the 2022-23 school year saw an increase of 54,969 players, up 5.6 percent from the previous year. Not only did 11-player football top the one-million mark, the increase was the first one for the sport since 2013 and only the second increase since the all-time high of 1.1 million in the 2008-09 school year. ere also was a slight gain – from 34,935 to 35,301 – in the number of boys playing 6-player, 8-player and 9-player football. Girls Got Game, Too. e number of girls playing football – particularly flag football – continues to climb as well. A total of 20,875 girls players in 2022-23, an increase of 32 percent from 2021-22. According to the NFHS, seven states now sponsor a state championship in girls' flag football and more are in the planning stages. Since 2021-22, the number of girls play- ing 11-player football increased by 18 percent with 3654 participants. Put together, boys and girls participation in all versions of high school football increased from 1,028,976 to 1,089,880 – a jump of six percent – from 2021-22 to 2022-23. High School Flag Football Figures. According to the NFHS, the top five states with the most female high school flag football players are Florida (7809 participants), Georgia (3866), Nevada (1508), New York (1020 and Alabama (665). Other states with girls playing high school flag football include California and Alaska. Flag vs. Tackle. Based on figures from the SFIA, there are more flag football players (1.8 million) in the U.S. between the ages of six and 12 than there are tackle football players (1.4 million). NFL Backs Flag Football. NFL Flag, the official flag football organization of the NFL, offers youth athletes a fun, inclusive, non-con- tact sport. NFL Flag serves more than half a 19 • Team Insight ~ November/December 2023 teaminsightmag.com Photo: fstop123/istock

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