Q.  Who is Braddock Road Youth Club (BRYC)?

A.  Founded by a small group of parents in 1966, playing but a single sport, Braddock Road Club (BRYC) has grown to be one of the preeminent youth sports clubs in Fairfax County, now having served over 175,000 families playing soccer, football, flag football, basketball, volleyball, or softball. We look forward to supporting our community for many more years to come!

Q.  Why play flag football?

A.  Football is one of the most exciting and popular sports for kids. But whether it's because of limited size or ability, or the desire to keep from getting hurt, not all kids want to play tackle football and many parents are concerned about the violent nature of the game. Flag football has proven to be a much safer sport for kids that still includes the high action appeal of football with far less of the common injuries associated with tackle football: concussions, broken bones, sprains, and dislocations.

Q.  Where are games played?

Fall Season: Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, 6560 Braddock Rd, Alexandria, VA 22312

Spring Season: Woodson High School, 9525 Main Street, Fairfax VA 22031

Q.  When are practices and games played?

A.  Practices are generally held on Sundays and hour prior to the game.  Some coaches may elect to practice during the week.

Games are played on Sunday between 12pm – 8pm. If there are any make up games, they will be determined as the season progresses. Playoffs and championships games take place after the regular season has concluded.  

Q.  What is the length of the Flag Football Season?

A:  The anticipated length of the season is approximately 8 weeks. 6 regular season games and 2 playoff weeks. The spring season runs from March to June. The fall season runs from September to November. These dates are subject to change. 

Q.  My child plays another sport/participates in another activity – will practices/games conflict? 

A.  As BRYC flag football is designed as a secondary sport and operated by volunteers, coaches will do their best to find a time to practice that best suits the majority of the team as well as their personal schedule. Scheduled practices may also change due to weather. Additionally, no player will be penalized for missing practice time to participate in another activity. Most coaches opt to hold practices on Sundays before the game.

Q.  Can girls play flag football?

A.  YES!! Currently, all teams are co-ed and we have girls playing in every division.

Q.  My child has a physical, mental or emotional challenge, can they still play?

A.  Yes. Flag football is designed to allow players at all levels and abilities to participate, and our coaches and families are very supportive of kids with any sort of challenge. 

Q.  Will my child play during the season?

A:  BRYC focuses on player development, sportsmanship and having fun.  All players will play throughout the game on both defense and offense. Players are allowed to participate regardless of whether they have attended practices or not.

Q.  Is there physical contact in this league?

A.  This is a no-contact league, and penalties for contact will be enforced. Tackling, blocking, stiff-arming or physical contact of any kind is not allowed. 

Q.  What equipment is needed to participate?

A.  Each participant will receive a league provided NFL reversible jersey and flag belt.

Cleats are not mandatory but encouraged. No metal cleats allowed.

Q.  What size football should my child practice with?

A.  We recommend a junior football 

Q.  What jersey size should I order?

A.  Jerseys are available in YS, YM, YL, YXL (AS), AM, AL, AXL, and XXL. They do run a little small in the larger sizes. Here is a link to the size chart: https://flagcontent.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NFL-FLAG-Jersey-Size-Chart-1.pdf

Q.  How much does it cost to register with BRYC Flag Football and what is the refund policy?

A.  Costs depend on season and age group. Costs are listed on the registration pages. In general, there are no refunds for BRYC Flag Football. Exceptions to this policy are: 1) BRYC doesn't field a team for the age group registered 2) Medical reasons.

A $35 processing fee per player will apply to all refunds. This is due to the bank charges we incur for transaction processing, the high volume of work required to process the refund, and the limited volunteers available. Additionally, an equipment/uniform fee will apply per player.  Request Deadlines by season: All refund requests MUST be turned in by the start of the season. 

Q.  What types of payments are accepted?

The acceptable types of payment are:

Credit card (MasterCard, Visa),

Youth Scholarship Program (available to Fairfax County residents only)

Q.  Do you offer Scholarships?

A.  Yes. A limited number of scholarships are available.  Please see our Scholarship Page for more information. 

Q.  How are Divisions sorted?

The league is made up of following divisions:

• 4 - 6 Year old (pre K and K)
• 7 - 8 Year old
• 9 - 11 Year old
• 12 - 14 Year old
• 15 - 18 Year old (High School) 

Q.  How are the teams picked?

A:  Teams are formed based on school grade, locality, common schools or neighborhoods, or coach availability.  We will do our best to ensure your child plays with kids that live nearby.  One of our priorities is to build community.  There is great value in playing with others that attend the same school or live down the street.  On occasion, if we do not have a coach from your area, we may have to split up players that go to the same school in order to fill out rosters.

Q.  My child wants to "Play Up" into the next age group, is that possible?

A:  Yes. Playing up into the next division is allowed. Since the registration system automatically places players into divisions based on their grade, simply add a note in the "Request" field on the registration form to let us know that you would like your child to play up into the next division and we will make the change. Alternately, you may email us your request. We do not, however, allow "playing down" into a younger Age Division, to be fair to the younger kids.

Q.  My child is home schooled, what grade do I indicate during registration?

A.  Provide the grade they would be enrolled in school based on their age. 

Q.  Can my child be placed with a specific child for purposes of carpool, friend request, etc?

A.  We do not guarantee players can be placed on the same team and CANNOT issue a refund just because your child is not placed on the same team as a friend or preferred coach. We organize our teams based on locality of where the athletes go to school. However, if we cannot get a coach/volunteer from that area, those players may be split and divided to fill the rosters of other teams. Teams very often practice on the same fields at the same times and coaches routinely help coordinate carpool requests between team members. On game days, friends would still be able to interact, as it is a very social atmosphere with all the teams present around the same times. Players are encouraged to sign up if they are interested in playing flag football with the understanding they will still be able to interact frequently even if they aren't on the same team; and very often the players love the friendly competition when their friends are playing on an opposing team. Some athletes may want to continue playing for the same coach as previous years.

Q. Can I request a particular coach?

A: Yes, however, 1) the coach must agree to have the player on their team, otherwise the player is placed on a team based on their locality or school. 2) A player cannot play up two grade levels to play with a certain coach. For example, a first grader cannot play in the 3/4 grade division. 3) the coach requests can affect whether or not a team has to play up a level. Any coach that has three or more requests and has swept their age division in a previous season, may be forced to play a division up. In this case the younger age players may not be able to move up with the rest of the team. For example, a coach has six requests for players to be on their team, and in the previous season, they won most games by 18 points or more and did not lose a game. They have 6-4th graders and 3-3rd graders. They may be forced to play in the 5/6 grade level in order for the 4th graders to stick together with that coach, and the 3-3rd graders must stay in the 3/4 grade division.

Q.  When will I hear from my Coach?

A:  You will receive an email from the league as soon as your child has been placed on a team indicating the team information schedule and coach's information. Your coach will contact you prior to the start of the season to introduce themselves. If you haven't heard from your coach and the first practice is less than a week away, please contact us for information – [email protected].

Q.  Last season my coach practiced on Sundays.  Can I get the same practice schedule? 

A.  Coaches are permitted one (1) – 1 hour practice per week.  They may choose to practice on Sundays, or during the week, depending on field permits and their personal schedules.  Coaches are permitted a warm up time as well before their game.  Some coaches do choose to have this time as their official practice. 

Q.  Do you have a copy of the Rule Book?

A:  Yes, click NFL Flag Rules Please keep in mind that our referees and coaches are human, mistakes and bad calls will happen. It’s part of the game and occurs in the highest level.

Q.  Weather Condition Polices

A.  We will follow the county field closures to determine cancelling games/practices. There are no refunds for games cancelled due to the weather.  We will do our best to provide makeup dates for the cancelled games, but this is dependent of field, official and team availability.

Q.  I have other questions. Who do I contact?

A.  You may contact us by email at [email protected]. 

Q:  Are there any volunteer opportunities available within the league?

A.  There are number of openings that we are always looking to fill no matter if you have just an hour or several hours to offer. The list below is some of the openings available:

• Coaches
• Assistant Coaches
• Division Coordinators
• Field Setup

If you are interested in volunteering for one of the positions above or in some other capacity, please contact the league commissioner at  [email protected].

Q.  How close can parents be to the action?

A.  We hope to get parents as close and intimate to the game as possible, but keep in mind that this league focuses on providing a fun and safe environment that promotes sportsmanship, confidence, and a positive experience with the game of football. Any parent/person that is behaving in a distasteful manner will be asked to leave the area. Spectators should not encourage things such running up the score, comment on other player’s skills or abilities, or talk/shout to the refs. This kind of behavior is interpreted as unsportsmanlike behavior and can be a penalty against your child’s team.