ILM FLAGHome of Under The Lights

About

About ILM Flag

ILM Flag is the home of Under The Lights (UTL) flag football in Wilmington, NC: coed and all-girls divisions, PreK through high school.

Our story

Built around friends

UTL is a competitive rec league built around friends. There's no draft: players sign up together, teams are grouped by grade, and many have stayed together for several seasons.

We play three seasons a year: Fall on Saturday nights and Spring on Friday nights at Veterans Park, and Winter on Saturday afternoons at Cape Fear Academy. Coed divisions run PreK through 8th grade, and all-girls divisions run 1st grade through high school. Every game is scored live.

Our players don't stop at flag. Many have gone on to play high school football and beyond, and they show up ready. See our players at the next level

Five national titles

BillsSpring 2026 · 5th–6th Grade
ChargersFall 2024 · 3rd–4th Grade
EaglesSpring 2024 · 1st–2nd Grade
RamsFall 2021 · 7th–8th Grade
BillsFall 2021 · 1st–2nd Grade

See the champions →

Rules

How the game is played

Full league rules →

6 on 6

Two 20-minute halves on a 50-yard field with 5-yard end zones.

Passing only

5th–8th grade coed is passing only: no running plays.

Earn your downs

Three downs to reach midfield, then four downs to score.

Protect the QB

No rushing the quarterback unless there's a handoff, lateral, backward pass or fake handoff. Rules vary by division.

Mercy rule

Applies when a team leads by 30 or more. Overtime is for playoffs only.

What to bring

Cleats (no metal) and a mouthguard. The league provides flags.

Read the full rules

Coaches

Coach with us

Coaches register separately from players, once for each season you want to coach.

Coach Winter 2026–27 Coach Spring 2027

Coaching both seasons? Register for each one.

Contact

Drop us a line

Questions about registration, coaching or sponsoring? Send a note and we'll get back to you.

myoung@uaflag.com