The Northwest Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation will host its fifth annual charity Flag Football Tournament this Saturday, September 15, at CenturyLink Field. A total of 20 teams - each made up of seven to 14 players - will get the chance to play on the Seattle Seahawks’ home field the week before the season home opener. Teams will compete for prizes, including tickets to Seattle Seahawks games, while fundraising to support patient education programs and support services, such as Camp Oasis, a summer camp for some of the 80,000 children affected by these diseases.
“This is by far the most fun charity event I’ve been a part of,” says Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, who has participated in the event since its inception. McCready found out he had Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis when he was in his early 20s. “People don’t usually like to talk about these diseases. This needs to change and this event is a big step towards that.”
There are 1.6 to 3.2 million Americans affected by Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, commonly known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Tournament Chair Chris Adams counts the event among his favorites. "This Flag Football Tournament offers a unique opportunity for people to actually play football on CenturyLink Field…I'm proud of what we've built since the first tournament in 2014, and can't wait to see where it goes from here!"
KING 5 is a proud sponsor of the event and has some skin in the game – The 5th Quarter co-host and Hall of Famer Walter Jones has recruited Take 5 co-host and KING 5 weathercaster Jordan Steele, anchor/reporter Mimi Jung, anchor Mark Wright, and Evening co-host Michael King to play on his team.
“When Chris Adams and Mike McCready asked if I would be involved I immediately told my assistant to say yes. This is bigger than football, it’s about finding a cure for a disease that affects hundreds of our neighbors. Knowing that Chris suffered from it and almost died from it, it was important for me to make myself available and lend my name and QB prowess to it.”
The tournament is free to attend and will be full of activities for all ages. In addition to a raffle and silent auction, the family-friendly event will include a free kids’ 40-yard dash on the field and The Fan Zone with music, games, arts & crafts, face painting and even a game station. For a small donation, spectators can take VIP stadium tours and take part in the field goal kick opportunity. Food and drink will be available for purchase and TVs will be playing college football games.
The event is presented by BNSF Railways and MPL Technologies, and supported by Parametric, Larson Auto Group, KING 5 and 710 ESPN Seattle.
