Frank Rogers, CDFFL Commissioner

Cedrick Pearman (in red) fighting Mike Gwilt (in white) for the ball

The "Capital District" region of the New York State encompasses a large area running from approximately Lake George in the north to the Catskill Mountains in the south, the stateline in the east to the city of Amsterdam in the west. Four major cities anchor it's corners: Albany, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, and Troy. Always a hotbed for H.S. football, unorganized "touch football" began popping up during the 1960's and 1970's in the major cities. An area that is flush with colleges, local players also became familar with flag football from their intermural programs. During the mid-1980's, informal flag football leagues consisting of 4 to 8 teams each became popular in Albany and Scotia, a suburb of Schenectady. In 1990, George Higgins decided to hold a "New York State Flag & Touch Football Championship" that August. His league on Long Island had grown during the 1980's and his teams were hungry for out-of-town competition. With it's central location and readymade identity as the state capital, Higgins chose Albany as the site of the first ever flag/touch football tournament in New York State. Teams from every corner of the state descended on Nott Rd. Park in Guilderland that summer, firmly establishing the sport forever more throughout the state. Higgins saw the potential for a large league in the Capital District. It had all the same qualities that made his Long Island league a success: plenty of parks and a young, football intense population.

One of the local coaches who had played in the State tournament was Brian Peek. Higgins knew that Peek could bring all the small leagues into one big league. In the summer of 1991 they set out to do just that. Using the rules and tactics that made the Long Island Flag Football League the largest in the country, by September 1991 the firstever Kick-Off of the Capital District Flag Football League took place at Collins Park in Scotia. Brian Peek became the league's 1st Commissioner and the league followed it's first Fall season with it's first Spring season in 1992. A "B" Division was also added that season for the sake of parity. The league continued to grow and in late 1993, Brian Peek decided to leave for another business opportunity in California. One of the small, local leagues that hadn't become part of the C.D.F.F.L. in 1991 was the Albany Flag Football League. It's Commissioner, Frank Rogers, agreed to met with Higgins and, in 1994, Frank Rogers became the 2nd Commissioner of the C.D.F.F.L. With the C.D.F.F.L. 's 40+ teams and Rogers' 8 additional teams, the league now became a 50+ league with three separate divisions: "A", "B" and "C". Under Roger's direction, the Capital District Flag Football League has grown into one of the premier leagues in the nation. It's 60+ teams have played in Giants Stadium, have numerous national champions, and enjoy one of the best run leagues anywhere. Local papers carry each week's standings and this website keeps it's players informed of up to the minute flag football news from around the globe. A "youth program", sponsored by the NY Giants, has the C.D.F.F.L. in the forefront of the NFL's efforts to increase football's popularity among today's youth. The C.D.F.F.L. plays full seasons in the Spring and the Fall, and an indoor-league during the Winter. For info on joining the C.D.F.F.L., just click on the "Registration Info" icon for the next season available. Enjoy the site!