NEBRASKA CITY- In this month’s installment of Nebraska City’s Hot Topics meeting, half rack football was the first item on the agenda.

Serving as a halfway point between flag football and fully padded football, flex football was founded in 2019 and played primarily in Texas and on the coasts. But, according to two of the four people who are spearheading the league, Nebraska welcomes a safer way for youth football to be played.

“It’s a soft helmet,” co-founder Josh Digmann said. “It’s a soft shoulder pad, so you don’t have that plastic on it, and it’s just an added protection for the kids.”

The league will be open to neighboring cities in River Country, but ultimately the games will be played in Nebraska City where it will presumably bring in more tourism.

“Hopefully, people that haven’t seen the downtown area see something that brings them back when it’s not their kids' youth football game,” Digmann said.

Registration will end on June 15th, with a training camp at the end of July according to Digmann and Hodges.