The Philadelphia Revolution men’s travelling flag football team has been preparing for the annual Gay Bowl tournament for the last two months.
Gay Bowl XIV is the championship event for the National Gay Flag Football League.
Philly is hosting the tournament this year — the first East Coast city to do so since 2009.
A record 42 teams will compete this year, including in a 10-team women’s division.
Paul Gorecki, Revolution head coach, has been helping his team get ready for the big day.
The team practices for two hours twice a week. Players also train off the field at the gym on their own.
A typical practice entails a warm-up, 20-minute offensive and defensive breakout sessions in which the players can practice their skill sets, a short break, and then they work plays for each side, where timing and repetition are key. If there’s extra time, the two sides scrimmage each other.
Interest this season has spiked, perhaps in part because of Philly hosting the Gay Bowl.
The Revolution had 60 players try out in August for only 16 spots on the Revolution A team. Because the Revolution is the host team, they were also allowed to enter B and C teams in the Gay Bowl.
“Tryouts were tough. Each player was scored in seven different skill sets. They were competing against each other. We had a great turnout this year because we’re hosting the Gay Bowl,” Gorecki said.
Gorecki primarily coaches the Revolution A team, but also oversees the two assistant coaches — Dave Sullivan and Steve Coyle — who work with the Revolution Blue and Grey B squads.
The Revolution are heading into the Gay Bowl after their highest-placing finish at the Pride Bowl in Chicago last June.
“Out of 20 teams, we came in seventh — our highest placement since we joined the NGFFL — and finished with a 3-3 record. We are definitely hoping to build upon that success going into Gay Bowl and looking forward to advancing our ranking,” Gorecki said.
The Revolution A is currently ranked 14th out of the 42 teams competing.
Gorecki has been involved with the league since spring 2011, serving as rules chair for several seasons — but he’s no newcomer to the game.
He played all four years in high school, followed by two years at Washington Jefferson College.
Side note: Current NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was Gorecki’s resident assistant at Washington Jefferson.
The Revolution teams are part of the Greater Philadelphia Flag Football League. They are one of two GPFFL teams that travel to tournaments around the country, including the Florida Sunshine Cup, Chicago Pride Bowl and the annual NGFFL Gay Bowl.