The second season of the San Diego American Flag Football League (SDAFFL) will kick off Saturday, April 2, at the Linda Vista Recreation Center at 7064 Levant St.

Four teams will compete against each other in games starting at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The season will run from April 2 through July 9, with games played every Saturday except for occasional off weeks. Each team will play each other three separate times during the regular season and then a playoff championship will occur.

SDAFFL Commissioner and Founder Ivan Solis wanted to start a flag football league last year and the idea quickly took off. “I was up in L.A. with some buddies of mine and I started playing, and they said why don’t you start something in San Diego,” Solis said. “I called all my friends and started putting articles in the paper and sending out stuff… it just got bigger and bigger and bigger.”

Many players in the league have competed at high school and collegiate levels. There are currently 61 registered players in the league, with 15 players on each team. Game format is seven players competing against each other in two 30-minute halves.

Solis is excited that interest in the flag football league is growing. “What’s great about it is people have been looking for something like this because there’s nothing like it,” he said.

This year’s teams include Pecs, Hamburger Mary’s, Brians’ American Eatery and last year’s Gay Bowl team, the Bourbon Street Hurricanes.

Solis said most teams are evenly matched, and he expects fierce competition. Clinics have already been held to assess skill level, as well as a draft to make all the teams as even as possible.

“We could probably have five or six teams, but we want them to be really competitive. The larger the league gets I think the less competitive it gets,” explained Solis. “We have four really, really strong teams. I think next year we’ll probably grow to six teams.”

Most members of the league are primarily amateur gay athletes, but all players regardless of gender and sexual orientation are encouraged to join and participate.

Solis said members from the league have now participated in three gay super bowls. This year San Diego and the SDAFFL will host Gay Bowl V, the national flag football championship, Oct. 7-9 during Columbus Day weekend.

Solis is planning a three-day extravaganza that will include barbecues, side competitions and a harbor cruise. The tournament will take place on fields at Tidelands Park in Coronado. He anticipates 16 teams to participate in the Gay Bowl this year and over 200 players hailing from all over the U.S. and Canada.

For more information about the SDAFFL contact Ivan Solis at 619-804-9000 or visit www.gaylesbiantimes.com for a link to the website.