by Pedro Pereira
In order to give gifts to the gauchos who enjoy the sports of the oval ball, and to fill the second half of this year’s competitive calendar, the Gaucho Federation of American Football (FGFA) announced on its social networks, on August 12, the holding of the third Women’s Flag Football RS Cup on September 10 and 11, 2022. The Site will provide full coverage of the competition.
There will be four teams alongside the Santa Maria Soldiers disputing the state tournament, which takes place in Júlio de Castilhos, at the Miguel Waihrich Filho Municipal Stadium. The matches will be broadcast on the official FGFA channel on YOUTUBE and, for fans interested in attending in person, admission will be completely free.
Earlier this year, the first Gaucho Championship of Women’s Flag Football took place after a two-year break due to the pandemic of the new coronavirus. The tournament, divided into two stages – the first on March 27th and the second, and last, on May 29th – had as champions the players of Carlos Barbosa Ximangos.
This season, participating in the second semester competition: the current state champions Carlos Barbosa Ximangos; Lions Flag Football, from Porto Alegre; the historic Santa Cruz Chacais; the state’s biggest winner, Santa Maria Soldiers; and the guest representing Santa Catarina, Desterro Atlantis. So far, only the Soldiers of Santa Maria have been victorious in editions of Copa RS. In the first two tournaments, in 2018 and 2019, Soldiers finished first on the podium by beating Jackals and Ximangos, respectively.
Erechim Coroados, an important team in the consolidation of the sport in RS, decided not to compete in the championship. According to the team’s advice, the Erechinenses chose to dedicate the second half of 2022 only to recruiting athletes because, in this year’s Gauchão, they had difficulties because they had few players.
According to the relay system for choosing venues for the competitions, organized internally by the FGFA, the place of dispute was defined by the Soldiers board. For reasons of field availability for the two days of matches, the city of Júlio de Castilhos was selected. For the president of the Gaucho Federation, Ismael Ferreira“it is an interesting opportunity to take the sport, which still needs to be spread, to a new city”.
Also, Ferreira says that this RS Cup will be a great test for the State, as well as a great opportunity to increase the popularity of flag football. “We will hold the first competition with a national organization model, with games on two consecutive days (normally, in Rio Grande do Sul, the matches are divided into two weekends). It will be a test of maturity for the teams and for us. This idea of taking the sport to new cities and working on publicizing the events is very important to get supporters for the sport and also to seek new practitioners”.
Format
Starting at 8:30 am on Saturday (10), the championship was organized in two stages: first phase and knockout. Gathered in a single group, all teams face each other only once. After the end of the initial stage, the teams with the first and second position in the table make the grand final, while the third and fourth places compete for the bronze medal.
At the end of the event, on Sunday (11), medals and trophies will be distributed to the three teams that complete the podium, as well as trophies for Championship MVP, Attack MVP, Defense MVP and Popular Vote MVP. The definition of the winners will be carried out by the FGFA, through statistical data collected during the matches and analyzed later.
In addition, the Championship Selection, which has the best players in each position by unifying all teams, will also be announced at the end of the competition. Two ideal teams will be announced.
match time
1st day (Saturday)
08/10 – Santa Maria Soldiers X Santa Cruz Chacais – 8h30min
10/08 – Desterro Atlantis X Lions Flag Football – 9h30min
08/10 – Carlos Barbosa Ximangos X Santa Cruz Chacais – 10h30min
08/10 – Santa Maria Soldiers X Banishment Atlantis – 13h30min
10/08 – Carlos Barbosa Ximangos X Lions Flag Football – 14h30min
08/10 – Desterro Atlantis X Santa Cruz Chacais – 3:30 pm
08/10 – Santa Maria Soldiers X Carlos Barbosa Ximangos – 4:30 p.m.
2nd day (Saturday)
11/08 – Santa Maria Soldiers X Lions Flag Football – 8h30min
08/11 – Carlos Barbosa Ximangos X Desterro Atlantis – 9h30min
11/08 – Santa Cruz Chacais X Lions Flag Football – 10h30min
08/11 – 3rd Place Dispute – 2pm
11/08 – Grande Final – 15h
What is Flag Football?
Derived from American football (FA), flag football has the same objective: to advance the ball across the field with the goal of reaching the endzone opponent to score six points (the famous touchdown).
The biggest difference between sports is the way teams interact on the field. In FA, it is extremely common to see players using aggression to interrupt plays. At the flag, on the other hand, it is enough to remove the ribbons that athletes wear around their waists during the match to end the move.
That is, even though, in the flag, contact between players continues to exist, it occurs in a less intense way than in American Football. That said, it becomes a more accessible and less scary modality for people of all ages and genders.
Thus, although it comes from another sport, it should not be devalued. An example of its relevance is the interest of the International Olympic Committee in instituting the category at the 2028 Olympic Games, based in Los Angeles.
for the referee Giancarlo Friedrich e a cornerback do Soldiers, Lucimara, the flag stands out for its social inclusion, since people with any body type can participate in the sport, and for not needing a high investment in equipment, as in American football. Also, it strengthens values of respect between colleagues and opponents, as well as raises the athlete’s morale by inserting him in an egalitarian environment. This couple, who occupy the same field, although wearing different uniforms, has already had their story told on the Site, and the reader can check HERE.
In the same way, the “Soldier” reports how she feels when she understands that she represents so many girls who have the desire to venture into different sports practices. “I feel flattered. I believe that my participation contributes to a more respectful community, with more equity, because it motivates the girls to look for a sport. It is from the sport that we identify how strong and resistant we are”.
