Philadelphia is set to host Gay Bowl 2014, the annual flag-football championship tournament of the National Gay Flag Football League.
The event will bring together a record 42 teams that will compete in three divisions over Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 9-12 at Edgley Fields in Fairmount Park. Thirteen fields have been specially designed to accommodate the largest Gay Bowl to date. There will also be a picnic area, food trucks, VIP tent, sponsor’s area and, new this year, an athlete’s village.
Philadelphia is the first East Coast city to host the event since 2009.
The tournament features an open A and open B division, as well as a 10-team women’s division.
Gary Isaacs, Gay Bowl XIV host committee co-chair and tournament facilities manager, works as a human-resources consultant during the day and plays for the Philadelphia Revolution at night. He has volunteered much of his time to plan the Gay Bowl this year.
He explained some of the work that went into making the tournament possible.
“There are six of us on the host committee, preparing for and organizing various logistics and elements in putting on the event,” Isaacs said. “Two of us that are co chairs of the organizing committee ensure that the fields and the various things at the fields are secure and prepped for the event — permits, field setup, concessions availability, EMS services, the various tents in the athlete village area, swag bags — as well as the logistical elements. We are shuttling athletes to and from the Sheraton downtown hotel, which is going to be great for the participants.”
A fee of $25 in advance or $30 the day of gets you unlimited access to all of the nine Gay Bowl XIV social events happening around town that weekend, including the American Airlines opening party at Field House, after parties at the Westbury, Fire & Ice and Tabu, the Gayborhood bar crawl and more.
Isaacs emphasized how the tournament, while exciting to watch and play in, is only half the fun — the social events are also a big tradition, he said.
“The social events planned in the evening will give people a chance to reconnect. A lot of the guys haven’t seen each other since last year. There have been so many friendships formed over the years, though. It’s like a family reunion,” he said.
Most games begin at 9 a.m. every day. The tournament ends with the championship games for the A and B division at 3 and 4 p.m. Sunday.