ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Over 60 teams and 300 kids all competing at St. Augustine High School on Saturday morning in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ annual “Bold Gold Games” 8U-17U flag football tournament.
The event served as a chance for those young athletes to not just compete in the sport they love but do so firsthand in front of the very players they see on TV each and every day, with Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end De’Shaan Dixon watching on.
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“I know as a kid you always grow up, you watch your favorite athletes on TV,” Dixon pointed out. “And then actually being out here and a kid seeing somebody that plays at that next level, it kind of gives you that motivation of you know, ‘I can get to that level’.”
Beyond those kids getting the chance to learn from and play in front of a player of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the event provides a one-of-a-kind unique experience for the children to show what they got firsthand to scouts for the U.S. Olympics 2028 flag football team.
“They’re out here kind of seeing who that next athlete’s gonna be to represent team USA in the national tournament and select teams,” Adriel Rocha, Vice President of Community Impact and Football Development for the Jacksonville Jaguars, explained at Saturday’s tournament.
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This all combined to provide a brand-new reason for the kids playing to stay committed and involved with sports, with the all-new addition of flag football to the Olympics giving another path to the national stage for Jacksonville’s youth beyond just the NFL or tackle football.
“They see this as an opportunity to actually be on a national stage,” Rocha said. “So, I think it’s helped us tremendously with the popularity of the game, especially with the older kids.”
“This is a safer route than tackle football,” Dixon pointed out. “So, I’m sure parents will be more invested in flag football than tackle football.”
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Now, the USA Football Talent ID camp is set to be held at Daily’s Place Sunday morning; it’s a chance to directly audition for a future spot on USA flag football.
That event is closed to the public.
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