Club flag football is coming to NC State.

Kicking off its inaugural season in the spring 2019 semester, the team will have its first interest meeting next Tuesday and will be holding tryouts, likely around the middle of February, according to club President Daniel Lee, a second-year studying neurobiology.

Per NC State Club Sports regulations, the team will have to maintain good standing, meet regularly and compete, among other requirements, for at least two years before being recognized as an official club sport.

The team, which was organized and created by Lee is open to any and all undergraduate students at NC State. Based on positive feedback received so far, Lee plans on having a men’s and a co-ed team.

“We’re open to anybody and everybody,” Lee said. “If there are enough women to do a women’s team that would be fantastic.”

Ideally, Lee wants between 20 and 30 competitive players, enough to form two teams with the expectation of winning.

NC State will be joining N.C. A&T, UNC-Pembroke, UNC-Wilmington and Campbell as North Carolina schools with club flag football teams.

“There is going to be great competition we can look forward to,” Lee said.

Commitment to the team is not to be confused with that of intramural flag football. According to Lee, all meetings, fundraising events, practices and games are mandatory, and a two- to four-hour weekly time commitment is to be expected.

The team will practice weekly in order to prepare for upcoming tournaments and stand-alone games.

During this inaugural season, Lee’s goals for the team are simple.

“The goals for this semester are to play a few games and possibly a national tournament,” Lee said. “The spring will be gauging our talent and seeing what we really have.”

If everything goes smoothly in this first season, Lee plans on registering the team for local, regional and national tournaments in the future, and any leagues under the American Flag Football League (AFFL) umbrella.

While there is no set date for tryouts, it will likely be a two-day affair, with the first day consisting of skills assessments and positional tryouts and the second day being a series of scrimmages.

“Our goal is to get 50 people at tryouts,” Lee said.

Lee, who has experience as a referee for NC State intramural flag football and regional AFFL tournaments, knows there are more than enough athletes at NC State to form a competitive team.

“I’ve seen a lot of good talent,” Lee said. “I know there are a lot of good players out there.”

Club flag football has yet to take off in North Carolina, but Lee is hoping that adding another competitive team to the mix will help continue to grow the sport.

 “There aren’t a ton of good flag football teams around,” Lee said. “But within the next few years hopefully it will continue to grow some more.”