The Metro Competitor Flag Football Union (MCFFU) is an organization comprised of several independent leagues and organizers across the country. The stated goal of the MCFFU is to work towards a single, significant World Championship where the best teams in the nation are all in attendance. In order to incent the best teams to participate, the MCFFU has created a series of tournaments with prizes of up to $10,000.

The MCFFU, otherwise known as the Union, has exploded on to the scene, and is one of the fastest growing flag football organizations in the country. At present, they have sanctioned tournaments held in 25 states through a network of 22 local associations.

The Union offers the following styles of play:

• 5-Man Contact
• 8-Man Semi-Contact
• 8-Man Eligible
• 9-Man Eligible

Each style of play offers three separate divisions: Pro (A), Competitive (B), and Recreation (C). The majority of their major tournaments offer cash and/or credit prizes for the Pro (A) division champions.

Their season - consisting of a variety of state, invitational, and regional tournaments - begins in April, and concludes each year in November. From December to March, the Union hosts their National Tournament Series, where teams jockey for position to compete in the MCFFU Flag Football World Championships. A team's national ranking is based solely on their national tournament record.

In the MCFFU's system, the season is important. Teams accumulate Cash Earning Points (CEP) based on their performance in events leading up to the National Tournament Series. Their National Tournament Series consists of three events: the Eastern Division Championships (EDC) held in December in Atlanta; the Western Division Championships (WDC) held in January in Las Vegas; and their Flag Football World Championships held in March in Dallas. Teams have the chance to earn the greatest amount of CEPs at these national events. The amount of CEPs a team has dictates the portion of the grand prize that they are eligible to receive if they win the MCFFU World Championship.

MCFFU National Director Jey Jones believes that if his organzation provides an exceptional product, the best teams will participate in MCFFU events. "Our local and regional partners have years of experience runing and operating major events and building team respect and support from within their areas, which provides the Union with a strong foundation in various regions, and the strength to foster our growth and development", says Jones. "We focus on providing the best possible environments to compete in, including and not limited to field and referee quality, optimum customer service, and continuous team recruitment from every state and region to grow each style and offer teams more competition."

This "If you build it, they will come" approach is difficult to execute, and carries a great deal of risk. In their first year of existence, the MCFFU has delivered, and so far, the risk has been worth the reward. With a solid first year under their belts, continued growth is on the horizon.

For more information about the MCFFU, please visit their web site at www.MCFFU.com. If your organization would like to partner with the MCFFU, you can email them at mcffu@mcffu.com