By Ray Hamill — A second flag football league is coming to Humboldt County this year and is expected to begin play in late May.

Humboldt Flag Football is an NFL-backed league and open to players aged 4 to adult.

Registration is now open and interested players can visit the Humboldt Flag Football website for more information.

The league will hold games at locations in Eureka, Fortuna, Arcata and McKinleyville.

According to league founder Matt Smith-Caggiano, who has been a Humboldt County resident for the past 22 years, the league is also hoping to participate at various NFL Flag tournaments around the country.

“During assessment, we will be looking for the best players in Humboldt for opportunities to travel and compete in regional tournaments that are usually held at NFL stadiums,” he said. “NFL Flag just announced NFL Flag Championships to be held at the Hall of Fame Village in Canton, Ohio.”

Assessments are scheduled to be held in mid April, with practice starting in mid May.

The league season will run for approximately two months. 

“We are excited about the opportunities this will bring to our community,” Smith-Caggiano. “Our goal is to involve the community as much as possible and maximize the positive impacts of our flag football program. We are reaching out to community members for collaboration.”

Smith-Caggiano added that the league is locally owned.

According to a press release, NFL Flag includes 600,000 players and 1,600 teams.

Humboldt Flag Football will be the second flag football league in the area, following in the footsteps of the Redwood Beasts Youth Athletic league, which began competition in 2021.