Five youth flag football teams got the full NFL treatment Monday, July 20, at Halas Hall in Lake Forest before heading to what the league calls the world's largest youth flag football tournament.

The Chicago Bears hosted the sendoff clinic and dinner at the Walter Payton Center, the same indoor practice field where Bears players train. Bears director of football development Gustavo Silva and former Bears tight end Kaseem Sinceno ran the players through drills, then the organization fed the group and sent each athlete home with a Bears Flag-branded Nike backpack stuffed with gear.

The five teams representing the Bears at the third annual NFL FLAG Championships in Westfield, Indiana: the 14U and 10U Rockford Park District Bears (boys), the 12U Chicago Park District Bears (boys), the 14U Glenview Titans (girls), and Carmel Catholic High School (girls). All five earned their spots by winning NFL FLAG Regional Tournaments.

Bears President & CEO Kevin Warren and chairman George H. McCaskey joined the athletes for dinner and spoke to the group. Warren told the players to compete hard but enjoy the ride.

"It's amazing," Carmel Catholic quarterback Josie Hartman said of the sendoff. "I've grown up a big Chicago Bears fan, so just being able to represent the Bears and have all the support from them and be able to do things like this is amazing."

McCaskey, who also serves as an IHSA official and has worked girls flag football games across Illinois, offered a practical tip: watch out for flag guarding, because referees are always looking for it. He also urged the players to keep having fun on the field.

Rockford boys coach Martin Hyatte, who coaches a tackle football team and has a 13-year-old daughter who plays flag, said the sport is building its own identity. He noted that boys who once dabbled in flag are starting to take it as seriously as the girls who helped drive the sport's growth.

The NFL FLAG Championships run Thursday, July 23, through Sunday, July 26, at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana. More than 350 U.S. teams and 12 international squads are competing across divisions from 8U to high school. Championship games are set for Sunday, July 26, with coverage on ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network.

Flag football counts more than 4.1 million youth participants in the United States, according to the NFL, and will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.