The Bears on Monday hosted a sendoff event at Halas Hall for five youth flag football teams that will represent the club in outside Indianapolis this weekend at the third annual NFL FLAG Championships — the largest youth flag football tournament in the world.

Three boys teams — the 14U and 10U Rockford Park District Bears as well as the 12U Chicago Park District Bears — and two girls teams — the 14U Glenview Titans and Carmel Catholic High School — are among the 350 teams that will compete in the biggest iteration of the event to date. Each qualifying team previously placed first in various NFL FLAG Regional Tournaments which were hosted by all 32 teams.

"We are excited and proud to have five local teams represent the Chicago Bears at the NFL FLAG championships," Bears director of football development Gustavo Silva said. "We hosted them at Halas Hall to celebrate them, wish them good luck and give them an opportunity to host a final practice to prepare for the championships in the Walter Payton Center, the very field that their heroes practice on. We cannot wait to cheer our teams in Indiana this weekend and watch them enjoy this opportunity."

To help the teams prepare for the four-day tournament, Silva, with help from former tight end Kaseem Sinceno, led a clinic at the Walter Payton Center for all the athletes and coaches before hosting a group dinner at the facility.

The Bears also provided each athlete with a Bears Flag-branded Nike backpack filled with gear, including a quarter-zip, a cut-off hoodie, a Bears notebook and more.

"It's amazing," Carmel Catholic quarterback Josie Hartman said of the club's Bears' support. "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."

Bears President & CEO Kevin Warren and chairman George H. McCaskey sent the teams off on a high note by joining them for dinner and providing the athletes words of encouragement.

"Really enjoy the journey because the opportunity to be able to hang with your friends and your coaches and go compete is really special," Warren said. "We expect you all to bring home championships, but more so we expect you to really compete at the highest level.

"So have fun, know that you have folks here at the Chicago Bears praying for you all. We want to support you. And the biggest thing you can do is just go have fun, because you will look back on these memories one day and recognize how great of an opportunity this is."

McCaskey, who serves as an IHSA official and has worked many girls flag football games, also gave the kids a couple of pieces of advice. First, he reminded them to be cautious of flag guarding — an illegal move where the ball carrier intentionally blocks a defender from grabbing their flag — as officials are constantly watching for it. Secondly, and more importantly, McCaskey also urged the group to enjoy this special moment.

"Don't forget to have fun," McCaskey said. "One of the things I love about officiating girls flag football in high school is that you seem to be having so much more fun than the boys are having. For them, it's all serious. And with the girls, it's just as competitive, it's just as serious, but I see absolute joy in it. So keep that up."

While the meteoric rise of flag football is mostly due to girls and women playing the game, the sport is also becoming popular among boys and men, especially with its upcoming debut in the 2028 Olympic Games.

The NFL FLAG Championships are a key example of flag football's increased popularity among young athletes worldwide, as teams representing 12 countries will compete across divisions from 8U to the high school level.

"First and foremost, I think it's been a really cool space for girls," Rockford boys coach Martin Hyatte said. "I have a daughter that's 13 and plays flag as well, and it's really been cool to see the girls have an opportunity that they didn't have before and realize that, 'man, this is something that we can really take seriously.'

"But now with the boys, too, because this is growing. I think the boys that have dabbled in it are starting to like it just as much, and it's starting to have its own identity. I really love to see that because I've grown to love flag football myself as a tackle football guy from the age of eight until now. I still coach a tackle football team. But being involved with flag, I've really gotten to see that it is its own thing, and there's a real love for it now."