Why is it that contact flag football has the slowest growth rate of all the flag styles?  Matter of fact, you can go as far as to say that contact flag football is declining each year.  Want proof?

Look at the top contact tournaments across the country; numbers have either stabilized or fallen.  Every new player recruited by a contact team comes from another local team because there are no other sources to pull from.  

Players are literally being recycled from team to team and yet people are looking around for new competition.  New teams are snuffed out before they can get going either by being stripped of their key players, exposed to too much unnecessary physical play or just pushed out of the sport all together with poor sportsmanship. 

In order for the contact division to sustain itself, it must generate new teams yearly.  This comes from new players being introduced to this style and accepting it.  But in order for others outside of the current contact flag community to accept it, it must first appeal to them and that's not happening.  Quit frankly, contact flag football is a sore eye on the game of flag mainly due to its reputation.

The recruiting begins with local leagues embracing new teams and providing the proper environment in which they can flourish; and compared to most Screen leagues, its no contest. 

On the other hand, because of Screen's reputation, securing quality fields and maintaining a steady stream of new players coming into the sport is well above that of Contact.  Screen appeals to a much broader group, while Contact appeals to the same group.

Having poor league environments, overly aggressive play by ill-tempered individuals who fail to separate flag from fantasy and unnecessary injuries, each play a role in the steady decline of Contact participation. 

Looking at the Contact game as a whole, can we honestly say it is as marketable to new players as is 4-Man or Screen?