By Andrew Coen
Ellie Mansdorf and Jason Pinewski of Woodmere, who two years ago spent time in Israel and saw how popular the flag football was in the Jewish State, decided that the sport would also catch on in the Five Towns area. Mansdorf, who attends Yeshiva University in Manhattan and Pinewski decided to launch the new league Degel (Hebrew for flag) USA earlier this year with the inaugural season running from March to May.
"It was just friends from all over the place getting together to form teams," said Mansdorf. "A lot of Jewish guys go to yeshiva where there is no football so this is a way to broaden their horizons."
The first season of Degel USA featured eight teams and around 150 players from all over the New York City area. Half of the teams hailed from the Five Towns with young men also forming teams in nearby West Hempstead, Long Beach and all throughout New York City. The games featured a six on six format with players from other teams officiating the contests played on a field measuring roughly 60 yards.
The idea for an organized flag football league first formed last fall when Mansdorf, Pinewski and 10 other friends started a tradition of playing flag football every Sunday morning and then spending a relaxing afternoon watching the National Football League games on television. The co-commissioners are exploring the idea of having the Degel USA season in the fall rather than the spring starting later this year so they can continue the tradition of playing the sport they love and then watching it from the comfort of their couches.
"A full day of football doesn't get much better," said Pinewski.
Mansdorf said next year they are hoping to expand the league to 16-20 teams and bring in different segments of the community to go along with the Orthodox Jewish population. Organizers are also hoping to establish an intramural flag football program at the local yeshivas which would run in the spring. Degel USA will also likely have a new home since the Number One School is in the process of being sold. Mansdorf said they have other fields in mind including possibly the Five Towns Community Center in North Lawrence.
The games in the first season drew larger than expected crowds according to Mansdorf including many friends and family as well as business owners who sponsored the teams. The league has given people who attended yeshivas for high school the chance to play football since it is was offered at their school. "Most people [in the league] are big football fans but we never got to play football," said Michael Eisman who played on the West Hempstead Hornets. "It's just fun to be able to play football in an organized way."
Comments about this story? acoen@liherald.com or 516-569-4000 ext. 210.
