Question 1

Who is this for?

Accepted Answer

The Academy is for serious,   multi-sport student-athletes that want the option, but not the obligation, to compete in local, regional, and national tournaments. It is also for higher academic student-athletes that plan to play high school flag football.  If we are successful at what we’re doing, your child will be part of a high academic, high character community of varsity-ready flag football players.

Question 2

What age groups will the Academy support?

Accepted Answer

The Academy is divided into two training groups: Olders (U14-U18) and Youngers (U12-U14).  We will allow players, judged on a case-by-case basis, to play up if they are developmentally advanced.

Question 3

How do you get into the Academy?

Accepted Answer

The Academy tryouts are by invitation only. You must request an invitation to try out. Our tryouts will be held in late October and November.  If space permits, additional tryouts will be held on a rolling basis in conjunction with our weekly training sessions.  Follow the Instagram account or contact one of the coaches for more opportunities if your athlete cannot make the initial tryout dates.

Question 4

What qualities do you look for in a Boom! Academy player?

Accepted Answer

Our mission is to attract players and families that enhance our community, not only on the field, but off of it. That means we are looking for families and players that can make our community better and more enjoyable for all. The concepts of “building” and “development” are important to Boom!. While we would love to have 30 of the best flag football players in the region on our squad, we are more excited by 30 flag football players who demonstrate the following qualities in sports and in life: Integrity; Accountability; Effort; Commitment; Communication; and Resilience. Those are pillars we can develop and build upon. We will optimize our selection process around those values. In short, because your child is the best player on a field, that is insufficient to become a part of our program.

Question 5

Explain what is meant by: “the Academy”,  a “Travel Roster” and a “Futures Roster” Player?

Accepted Answer

We do things differently than most at Boom! We EMBRACE multi-sport athletes and their other commitments. In order to do that and accommodate other commitments to other travel ball sports, we have an Academy model where we practice and train together, not according to a “team” roster. But we do have two roster types within the Academy: For certain tournaments, especially those that require months of planning and early entry fees, we have rosters set that are made up of players who have pre-committed to travel to those specific tournaments. That is our Travel Roster. For those not committing to travel but those wanting the option to travel should a spot open up, that is our Futures Roster. Frankly, rosters are less important to us and having lived within the youth sports team structures for many years, all of us at Boom! find the Academy structure much more able to create a healthier environment for highly competitive kids.

Question 6

What travel tournaments will we go to?

Accepted Answer

We are prioritizing travel to Southern California tournaments and perhaps a Las Vegas tournament, likely tournaments that play the 7v7 high school rules format.

Question 7

My child plays Next Level on Sundays, will that be an issue?

Accepted Answer

No, and Yes!  Next Level is a recreational program playing 5v5 rules. We are a high school prep program based on 7v7 rules. The games and rules are totally different and while there is some overlap in skills required to excel at both, the learning curve is much steeper for 7v7. Our policy is, as long as it doesn’t cause players to fall behind on the learning curve, we don’t care what your child is doing. Having said that, we have a preference for players that are committed to the higher level of play and high school format and missing practices and scheduled games and tournaments to play Next Level is strongly discouraged.

Question 8

I understand the different kinds of rosters, so what other games are there for Academy/Futures Roster players?

Accepted Answer

Most of our game activity will occur locally, including as many playdates as we can schedule against top local travel teams in addition to at least 2-3 local tournaments where it is our intention to create balanced rosters to facilitate all player development. Those will be oriented also to Sundays between January and June.

Question 9

Will I be penalized by only wanting to play local tournaments?

Accepted Answer

ABSOLUTELY NOT! We would love your transparency on this issue. Exactly 50% of our returning players are Futures Roster players, meaning they want the option, if its available to be presented to travel, but aren’t committed to it.

Question 10

How many kids will be in the Academy?

Accepted Answer

To create the best competitive training environment and ensure the proper amount of repetitions at each position, we limit the Olders and Youngers to 30 girls each so that we maximize the experience for all.

Question 11

How do i sign up?

Accepted Answer

To be considered for the Academy, you must attend a tryout, which will begin in April and May. You can email info@bayareaboom.com,(mailto:info@bayareaboom.com) or one of the coaches to attend a tryout. You must be registered in the system to attend a tryout and have filled out a facility waiver. You can register on the site.

Question 12

I signed up on the site, am I in?

Accepted Answer

Our registration for the Academy is by Invitation Only. What you are signing up for on the site is to be considered for the Academy. We will be inviting those that signed up to trainings in April and May to evaluate for the Academy, and if accepted, a password protected registration link will be given to you followed by a sign up process.

Question 13

How do you only charge $150 per month? What am i missing?

Accepted Answer

Sponsors!  We realize similar programs are charging almost $300 per month. The Academy charges a monthly fee of $150., which covers all field training AND includes Real Neal Sports speed, strength and agility training. If you are going to Real Neal separately, you will pay $40 per session per week!. We have been very intentional about keeping costs down for families and have generous sponsors that underwrite some of the costs.

Question 14

Is this a month-to-month commitment?

Accepted Answer

No. It is a full season commitment. We spread out payments to make it easier to afford, but you are committing to the full program. On a case by case basis we will make exceptions for unanticipated issues like a player injury or a family relocation and refund fees.

Question 15

What is your philosophy on other "Costs" that aren't included in the $150 monthly fee. What other costs might there be?

Accepted Answer

All costs associated with tournaments, travel, and uniforms will be charged separately. With respect to pricing increases, we will evaluate annually the optimum pricing relative to the value we are able to deliver. But itemizing: 1. Uniforms and Practice Jerseys: You should anticipate paying for a practice jersey (approx $30-40) and for uniforms another $150.  Everything else is optional; 2. Travel Tournaments:  For travel tournaments requiring a hotel stay and flights, we will include the coaches travel in the overall team budget. That is our only "markup”; 3. Player registration fees: Zorts and USA Football all require players and coaches to be registered. Costs typically won't exceed $50 for the season.

Question 16

Who are the Boom! coaches?

Accepted Answer

Danny Rodriguez (danny8894@comcast.net) is our Executive Director overseeing the program and coaches. Danny has been a local coach for over 30 years and is an integral part of the College Park flag football program. Dave Cooney is a local coaching legend, leading softball and flag football programs for over 30 years. Navid Niakan is in charge of our Youngers, and has coached and competed at the highest levels of football. (niakanq@gmail.com)(mailto:niakanq@gmail.com) . We will be announcing more coaches shortly that coach at the local high schools whose programs we feed into.

Question 17

Your registration has a minimum GPA required?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our high school students must maintain a minimum weighted 3.3 GPA in order to play in the Academy or on our tournament teams. Last season, our Olders sported an Academy average GPA of 3.78! We have been blessed with student athletes that care about being a student first, and an athlete second, and parents that support that mandate. Our philosophy is simple: We want our student-athletes to be committed equally on the field and off the field. We will make exceptions on a case by case basis but never based on the player’s ability on the field.

Question 18

When does the season begin and end?

Accepted Answer

Our Academy begins officially in December and runs through June.

Question 19

How much do uniforms and/or practice jerseys cost?

Accepted Answer

We aim to keep costs low with zero markup. A uniform kit for tournament teams will typically cost $150-$175, which includes jerseys, shorts, flags and headgear. Practice jerseys typically cost $30-40.

Question 20

Tell me about Speed, Strength, Agility training from Real Neal Sports?

Accepted Answer

The highest level competitive athletes from amateurs to professionals come to Real Neal Sportsf(https://www.instagram.com/realnealsports/)or training. Headquartered at Universal Sports Academy, where we practice, Real Neal Sports data-driven training will be integrated into our curriculum, providing not only a competitive advantage for flag football, but cross-sport extensibility. Simply put, serious athletes at the youth and professional levels and colleges (St. Mary’s), trust Real Neal Sports. So do we.

Question 21

My child wants to play, but is not that serious about it?

Accepted Answer

We have created Boom! Next as an adjunct to our Academy, though it is only for Youngers and aimed at ages 6-12. It runs at the same time, in the same location, with the same coaches as Boom! Academy and includes high achieving mentors from our Olders group. It is designed as an on ramp to give players new to flag more repetitions doing basic skills so that they can quickly integrate with our Academy and travel teams, whose practices include more strategy and tactics. Additionally, we will be offering many free and paid camps, clinics and perhaps a more recreational approach to the sport during the year. Stay connected to the Instagram account for more details.

Question 22

How much will travel tournaments cost?

Accepted Answer

Costs vary with location, but typical travel tournaments for USA Football and USAFlag events cost between $400-$500 per team (likely 10-12 players) for typically a minimum of 3-4 games.  Our goal is to evaluate, as a team, tournament options with a preference for local tournaments within 3-4 hours of driving. Our goal though, as a program, is to compete in national-level events when ready, which implies for Olders and some Youngers teams, likely a 12U team, going to sanctioned tournaments and qualifiers, most of which are in Orange County, San Diego, or Las Vegas.

Question 23

Which tournaments will we attend?

Accepted Answer

Our ambition is to compete for national titles from the various sanctioned tournaments offered through USAFLAG and USA Football, with a preference for the Hard Count series and NFL Flag series events. We will carefully select 2-4 tournaments per year that create positive growth experiences for our teams.

Question 24

Age groupings are confusing. Can you let me know where my kid will play?

Accepted Answer

There are typically two age cutoffs, depending on tournaments. Some use the age of the child as of 1/1, others use a school year with a cutoff 8/1. That means, certain kids will be eligible to play in different age groups depending on when the tournaments are held. This is also a reason to prefer the Academy structure, since from game to game or tournament to tournament, eligibility differences means team makeup differences.

Question 25

Do you have a program for U10 and U8?

Accepted Answer

We are focused on the Olders and Youngers for now, but if there is enough interest in a weekly program for U8, we certainly will figure it out. We will be hosting many free and paid camps and clinics over the year that will be more practical for the U8 cohorts. For U10's, if they are developmentally able to compete with U12's, we will allow playing up where appropriate.

Question 26

When does the Academy train?

Accepted Answer

Most if not all practices occur on Sundays 5-8:30 PM. Youngers typically practice in the early slot, Olders in the later slot. While we may occasionally practice at another time to prepare for tournaments, 90% will be on Sunday nights. We have found that this is the best time so that all of our multi-sport commitment athletes can attend most of the practices.

Question 27

When are games scheduled?

Accepted Answer

Our aim is to host as many games as possible during that same window, 5-8:30 on Sunday nights. Away playdates may vary but we have 6 dates tentatively scheduled playdates during that same Sunday window.

Question 28

Where does the Academy play?

Accepted Answer

As parents and local coaches, we know the vagaries of field time in the Bay Area.  We solved that problem.  The Universal Sports Academy in Martinez, one of only 2 regulation sized indoor turf fields in the Bay Area is our home and supports regulations sized 5v5 girls flag. You can bank on that each and every weekend. Our trainings will occur at the same time, at the same place, year round.

Question 29

Do we need equipment?

Accepted Answer

No. We will provide all flags and balls for practices. Uniforms for travel teams and practice gear will be purchased separately.

Question 30

Where can I learn more?

Accepted Answer

Reach out to our Executive Director, Coach Danny (danny8894@comcast.net)(mailto:danny8894@comcast.net) or info@bayareaboom.com (mailto:info@bayareaboom.com)with specific questions. The Instagram account DM is always open as well.

Question 31

Can I just play the tournaments? Can I guest play?

Accepted Answer

No. Our tournament teams form out of our Academy players, beginning in December/January for the upcoming season. In order to be on our tournament teams, you have to be in the Academy. From time to time, guest players will be allowed to play on our tournament teams should we need additional players.

Question 32

Which tournaments will we attend?

Accepted Answer

Our ambition is to compete at the top regional and national events, mostly in the 7v7 high school format.  We will carefully select  tournaments per year that create positive growth experiences for our teams, based on feedback from our families.  Locally, there are a number of exciting developments, including the development of a playdate series which likely will provide at least 6 games against top competition January-May.

Question 33

Can I guest play with another club?

Accepted Answer

That depends. As long as there are no conflicts and we aren't playing, we have no problem with guest playing with other clubs at travel tournaments as long as you are transparent about it. It's up to you and your family to not make it an issue for Boom!

Boom! Academy FAQ