Let's meet the faces behind Big League Sports Flag Football!

When Big League Sports first dove into the world of recreational football in the fall of 2014, there were six teams, a small but determined group of players, and one person running the show - Niz.  Niz laid the groundwork - showing up solo every week, building a foundation of strong, dedicated players who wanted to see their league grow and expand.  No one at the time could have predicted that this small division would one day triple in size and become one of the most active, engaged, and competitive branches in the entire BLS community.

Ten years later, Big League Football has officially broken its record with 14 teams, and its evolution can be traced to two names that have become synonymous with BLS Football: Justin Nigro and Matt Ruppert.

Justin and Matt didn’t set out to run a league.  They began where most people do - on the field, as regular players just looking for a good time with friends.

Justin entered the BLS world in 2013 through Purchase Kickball.  Matt joined a year later, similarly pulled in by a friend.  Both of them played multiple sports in the league, and both immersed themselves fully into the BLS culture long before they ever considered managing anything.

While they were friends and teammates for many years, their partnership expanded to what it is today in 2022 when discussions about improving the football division’s format sparked a new journey.  Justin had already been participating in multiple flag leagues across the area and had a strong sense of how modern COED flag football was evolving.  Matt brought years of first hand experience running his own 7v7 league.  Together, their expertise evolved into something bigger: the opportunity to reshape and elevate the BLS Football experience.  “I knew I wanted to make a change,” Justin said.  “As the over-eager person that I am, I approached Maurice and Dematas with some ideas - and the rest fell into place.”  Matt touched on his reaction to Justin asking him to partner up and grow the league, “He knew I had experience running a league, and it’s much easier to grow with him as a partner.” 

And with that partnership, BLS Football entered a new era.

The league Justin and Matt inherited in 2022 was still using a two-hand-touch format.  Under their leadership, the division transitioned into a true flag football league, complete with expanded fields, call-out games, and a gameplay structure aligned with the national scene.  In keeping with the Big League focus on supporting female players, Big League Football found new ways to strengthen the integration of female players into the action.  Women in BLS Football now play a strategic and essential part of team success - something not every recreational league gets right.  “Female players are a major part of a team’s success in our format,” Justin says.  "Female touchdowns are 8 points, which isn’t abnormal in the world of COED Flag Football. We believe it gets every single player on the field more involved. You will see teams hustling down the field for pitch backs or swapping out a few males in the redzone for extra female players to score those extra two points, because in a big game, those points matter."

Ask any player - even someone who doesn’t play football - and they’ll tell you the same thing: one of the most beloved traditions Justin and Matt have cemented is the weekly stats, write-ups, and game recaps posted across social media.  These aren’t thrown together.  They’re the product of hours of collaboration, phone calls, message threads, and stat-checking between the two managers - often late into Sunday evenings.

When asked about the work behind the scenes to make these detailed reports happen, Justin and Matt had a lot to say!

Justin:  "The stats and write-ups are absolutely one of the most electrifying things that we do.  Like anything else, it’s a group effort and it does take a lot of time.  I cannot tell you how many hours I spent on the phone with Ruppert.  There was a point during the early stages where I think I spoke to him more than my wife at points (I love you babe 😊, don’t worry she will probably never read this).  We made a push within the last few seasons to have paid refs every Sunday, so we use our secondary ref pool to help collect stats and then do all of that, write-ups, power rankings, and recaps behind the scenes.  We will collaborate if we need to discuss anything further, or if he and I play against each other, we love a good rivalry.  We ask our captains to contribute something to the game recaps and write-ups if they would like, it’s not mandatory but you will be surprised how many teams do.  It makes it a fully interactive experience for everyone involved.  One of the best at it is the captain of Paid in Full, Ken Frawley.  He has been an incredible captain to work with."

Matt:  "We spend hours on the stats and write ups each week. Discussing who stood out, collaborating on our games we played, ones we reffed, asked others for input, spotlighting best team win and players of the week, and filled in the rest of the blanks.  We really spend all the time making sure all scores add up with the stats and ask refs/captains if anything is missing. Having captains sign off on stats post-game leaves little doubt as to the accuracy. It's a pretty tight-knit design."

When it comes to dedication of time and attention to detail, Justin and Matt have shown they care both on and off the field.  Every Sunday setup requires six hockey-sized bags of equipment.  They take the time to ensure every single line and line marker is straight and accurate.  “We care about every little single detail,” Justin says.  Matt continues, “We strive to have everything accurate down to the inch."

But it is not just the fields and the write ups that Justin and Matt care about - they care about the players.  Each of them contributes the leagues growth to the players and captains, after all - they were both players first.  Justin explained, "Without them and their feedback, we wouldn’t be where we are now.  BLS Flag Football has turned itself into its own little community and I think that’s special."  Matt agreed, "What he said. It's really about the players and captains. We build off what we see is popular in football around the area and beyond.  Constructive criticism is just as valuable and we bring up all proposed changes in our pre-season captains meetings...We built the foundation and evolve based on feedback."

Their goal is simple: enhance the player experience, give everyone the tools to compete and enjoy themselves, and deliver a product that reflects the passion behind it.  What began with six teams in 2014 now stands proud at fourteen. The growth is undeniable.

“We wanted to put a product on the field that we could be proud of,” Justin reflects.

And week after week, they do exactly that.

I decided to ask some of our refs what they believe is the most difficult part of the job. Here’s what they said:

• Matt B:  "Seeing the whole field and making sure I see when the runner left the base vs. the throw."

• Max D:  "The close calls, only one chance to get it right and it has to be done quickly as well."

• Mike B:  "Hardest aspect of reffing would be judging runners rounding first... it can be very close sometimes to judge that to award the base or send them back."

• Harry I:  "In kickball, the timing plays... meaning where a runner can move from base to base upon fielders trying to get the ball back to the pitcher.  For softball, the arch."

• Elle M:  "Hmmm I’d say it’s tracking all of the action.  When there’s multiple runners and there’s some craziness happening on the field, it’s hard getting it all right.  That’s why having a reliable first base ref is so important... A lot of times we’re making multiple calls during a play, not just one."

• Chris B:  "Trying to keep your eye on multiple things and wide angles at once when it comes to timing plays, such as tag ups on pop-ups and aggressive runners rounding a base at the same time the ball is being thrown back to the pitcher from an infielder. Some are really bang-bang and you just have to go with your gut and be confident in your call."

• Kanard L:  "Knowing you’re not always gonna have the best angle to make the right call, and then hearing the reactions because of it. At the end of the day as long as you’re moving around as a ref to call a fair game, nothing more can be asked of you."

• Jen T:  "I would say those one in a million type of plays that occur and you have to explain it to a team that has never seen it happen in a game before."

• Paige M:  "Watching all the bases at one time."

A massive shout-out must go to our aux, support, and first-base refs - who are usually team players!  Their support goes a long way and makes the overall game better for everyone. BLS hears it all the time from players: "I learned a new rule" or "I learned how to play better just by reffing."  That right there is worth its weight in gold.

BLS has to spotlight its longest and most seasoned ref of any sport: Harry Iyer. Harry has been with us almost since the beginning and has reffed over 600 kickball games.  He's famous for traveling to all the leagues, often at a moment's notice, to cover a game or support another ref.  Harry is the prime example of "love for the game."  Chris B has been around for 15 years and has reffed over 300 games in his time!

That’s the secret.  All of our BLS refs, for all our sports, truly LOVE their sports.  You couldn't do this job if you didn't.  So, next time you see a ref on the field, remember they share your passion.  Give them a "thank you" for contributing to your games!

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