PIT TOUCH and FLAG FOOTBALL in WINNIPEG MANITOBA - FOOTBALL!

3779 Posts

In my travels out East this summer to play football I came across leagues running very successful Master's Divisions for players over the age of 40. Father time catches up to all of us and despite having a greater breadth of knowledge for the game, sometimes speed and size can turn the tide of the game. Ottawa, Toronto, and Hamilton are just a few of the leagues offering Master's divisions, often with 10-12 teams per league.

On the home front we have received a lot of inquires regarding a Master's Division so we are hoping to get one off the ground for the Winter season to judge interest. The rules of the Master's Division? All members of a team must be forty years of age or older. Other than that all the rules remain the same. Some have suggested that we have a one player exception however we felt that could potentially offset divisional parity and we would like to keep with the specific age limit.

To increase the parity among teams in the division some of the leagues out East either had a draft or alternatively had the league put teams together. This was also suggested to us and could be a way to both increase the competitiveness of the division and adequately place players who might not have a full squad of 40+ players.

Let us know what you think!

The PIT Crew

51 Posts

I am definitely down with having some kind of draft. Having the league set up teams would be fine, but why not set up team captains and let them draft guys? Sounds like a good excuse to drink.

51 Posts

Maybe we can get golf shirts instead of t-shirts for prizes ;)

151 Posts

Were only a couple of years off being a master team.

3779 Posts

A draft is not necessarily a bad thing...I do advocate the drinking aspect! But for this guy in might not be a great experience! So we have to figure a way so that feelings wouldn't be hurt (free beer for Mr. Irrelevant?)

The PIT Crew

23 Posts

I am in for sure- draft or league pick would be fine either way. It gets embarrassing when the 40 year (me) old runs circles around the 20 something year olds. You should hear the chirps- "you let that old fart get past you??" I feel so bad for the guy the way his own team ridicules him. This division would alleviate that from happening! :-)

1 Post

I played in a masters league in Oakville, On. They used a draft system. Teams were often equally matched and games were competitive. Also a great way for guys to network as most of the players were deep in their professional careers and were often well connected and successful. We even allowed trades to even things out if a few teams were struggling, usually at the qb position due to....ahem...injuries. Team names were
based on CFL teams...so, yeah, I'm in!

51 Posts

We can also solve jersey colour issues by just assigning colours to teams. See what smart old guys can figure out!

(PS We all know I will be picked last, so just buy me a beer in advance and problem solved)

51 Posts

We can also solve jersey colour issues by just assigning colours to teams. See what smart old guys can figure out!

(PS We all know I will be picked last, so just buy me a beer in advance and problem solved)

14 Posts

I'm too young to play in the Masters division but this sounds like a really cool idea. I think a draft system would be really neat and should help to even out all the teams. I wouldn't even mind seeing a league where all levels of players could participate in a draft setting, it would be cool to mix some of the teams up and play with other people.

3779 Posts

We actually did have a draft league in the Summer of 2010 (the PIT's second year of existence). We had four teams and the season was a blast.

Could we see a return of the Akron Professionals, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, and Dayton Bulldogs for the Master's divs?

The PIT Crew

31 Posts

Toss in a Masters Cheerleading team and call them the Cougars.

5 Posts

I'm in for sure...I too am tired of embarassing 20 year olds.

948 Posts

The Master Division is starting to take shape, similarly to a few years ago we are using some old school team names at the moment and filling the rosters one at a time. It is most likely that we will do a draft system, but we will make a call on that fairly soon. You can contact Jon or myself to have your name added to the rosters. This may not have happened for years, but we may be asking you for ID!!

thanks,
PIT Crew

51 Posts

I'm in, but you might want to send out a blanket email to let guys know they need to indicate their interest.

3779 Posts

Ask and ye shall receive Jeff!

Any players wanting to play in the Masters Division should contact either Scott or myself and we will put you on one of the teams listed in the Master's Division. Contact information can be found here: http://www.pitfootball.com/contacts

Players should note that the teams as they are currently listed on the Standings page are not the final teams. Once we get enough players to fill all the teams we will redistribute them to ensure each team has a QB, center, and are matched as equivalently as possible. Cost will be dependent on the number of players per team but players should expect to pay about $85-$90 a player.

The PIT Crew

3779 Posts

Looks like we will need only four more players to make Winnipeg's first ever Master's Division go for the Winter. If you are 40+ and want to take on others in the same demographic here is your chance. Contact us if you are interested and want to best the other 32 registrants!

Players will be evenly dispersed across the teams to ensure parity among the teams.

The PIT Crew

3779 Posts

Last call for players in the Masters Division (ages 40+). We have five teams competing in the winter and we are looking for 4-5 more guys to round out the rosters.

Rosters will be finalized prior to the start of the schedule being released on the weekend. Any interested players can make inquires to your PIT Crew to be added onto teams.

The PIT Crew

3779 Posts

Teams will be organized for the Master's Division tonight so for those playing in the division keep posted!

First games of the month will be played on the 18th: here is the schedule for January: http://www.pitfootball.com/seasons/1194-winter-indoor-2014/games/division/2530/1

The PIT Crew

3779 Posts

The Masters teams are now set. You can view the teams here: http://www.pitfootball.com/standings

Good luck to all teams, we are sure that everyone involved will have a blast!

The PIT Crew

3779 Posts

The first ever Masters division games kicked off last saturday as four of the five Masters teams took the field. The Decatur Staleys defeated the Rochester Jeffersons by a score of 27-13 while the Hammond Pros defeated the Rock Island Independents 13-6. The Staleys were led by the 4 touchdown passes of Glen "Oldest Player in the PIT" Dyck, three of which went to the ageless Bryce McDonald. In the second game, the Pros got TD receptions from Warren Villarba and Kirklin "Check this guys ID" Sam.

Looks like a great time was had by all. The Masters action heats up again this weekend as Portsmouth Spartans take the field for the first time in nearly 80 years!

Here are some pics of the first weekends action: http://www.pitfootball.com/albums/643-masters-division

The PIT Crew

3779 Posts

Due to the success of the Master's league in the Winter we are going to once again offer a Master's Division (all players must be over the age of 40 to participate) during our Spring league. To help grow the division all games will be played during prime time hours (7:00pm to 9:00pm) during the Spring season. While the competition has been fierce we have really be struck by the camaraderie that teams have. Its great to see the players having drinks after game and swapping old war stories. We hope that this division will continue to thrive moving forward and we can top the five teams that participated in the Winter.

We will be reshuffling the deck for Spring with all new teams so that players can meet and play with new teammates. The Winter season has been very competitive and now that we have a good handle on all of the players we are sure we can make the parity among teams even that much better.

Interested players can either contact the PIT Crew and we can add you to a team or you can request to be added to a team. Instructions for how to do that can be found here: http://www.pitfootball.com/menu/player-registration

We hope to see you out on the field during prime time!

The PIT Crew

23 Posts

Please add my name to the Master's division player pool. I play Centre, slot and rusher. Born 1970. Please email me amount you will need once teams are in place and I will email funds.

Thanks,

Kirk Paquette

204-294-6845