The RFL Board of Directors has been meeting and working hard in the off-season to prepare for the Fall 2023 tackle season. We are making significant changes to the RFL structure that will make us better, stronger and more competitive. Chris Worch, Raiders GM and Guy Stefanelli, Bears GM have been discussing a merger of our programs over the last few years. We have decided that 2023 is the time.

We are very excited to announce:

THE NEW “RFL FALCONS”

There was a method to this merger starting last year when we created the MOCO Football League, which the RFL teams are now part of. The merger was the next step and with a lot of discussion and consultation we decided not to call the new team the Bears or Raiders for obvious reasons. A vote was taken and there was a unanimous decision to name the new team the Falcons. There will be plenty of hurdles to overcome as we move towards the season and work out the fine details of the merger, but Chris and I are committed to making this a successful transition.

What does this mean for the Bears and Raiders players? They are now one team…..”The Falcons”.

Will I still be able to play with my friends? The short answer is yes, but there may be exceptions, and I will go into detail later.

The RFL is making a huge investment in uniforms. We just purchased brand new helmets for the entire program. We are also in the process of designing new uniforms and logos. We will post the new uniforms and helmets on the website as soon as available. The new blue and gold uniforms will be collected at the end of the season. Every player will receive a new Navy Blue helmet with gold falcon logos, new navy blue and gold reversable jersey and pants and practice jersey.

RFL/MOCO Football League changes for 2023:

Divisions for registration: 13U, 12U, 11U, 10U, 9U, 7&8, and 5&6
Army and Navy sub-divisions for 11U thru 13U (the Army/Navy format has been very effective for RFL teams in past years and is being brought back this year. The basic concept is the older more experienced players play on Navy and the younger less experienced play on Army). There will be tryouts during camp to decide Army/Navy players and this is a possible situation where friends may be on different teams. There may be other exceptions as well.
Registration will open on the RFL website June 1^st. www.rfl.cc
Players no longer register as Bears or Raiders, but can indicate that they are former players of those teams. Friend and Coach request are on forms page also at the end of registration.

We know there will be lots of questions as we move forward and we will do our best to clarify. Now more than ever we need coaches and volunteers to be successful. This is a 100% volunteer run league and we know everyone has busy lives these days, but please we need your help. This league is only as good as the volunteers that make it happen, please do it for the kids!!

All families are part of the RFL FALCONS and are expected to either volunteer over the course of the Fall Tackle Season or pay the $100 opt-out fee to cover the year. All coaches and volunteers will be required to pay the fee upfront. Head coaches will be reimbursed only once a team is assigned to them and they have completed the mandatory background check. All other volunteers that work their required time will be refunded the $100 fee before the end of the year.

After you register your child you can go back to the registration page and register as a volunteer.

GO FALCONS

Guy Stefanelli, President and RFL BOD