HERMOSA BEACH, CA — While watching a beach volleyball tournament a few years ago, Adam Cyril and ex-New England Patriot Tully Banta-Cain had a similar thought: "Man, imagine if this was football."That idea took off after they hosted their first private beach football event at Hermosa Beach in 2021. By 2024, they had over 120 athletes take part in their first-ever open tryout event at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire.With momentum growing for the Beach Football League, Cyril and Banta-Cain decided it was time to go...
HERMOSA BEACH, CA — While watching a beach volleyball tournament a few years ago, Adam Cyril and ex-New England Patriot Tully Banta-Cain had a similar thought: "Man, imagine if this was football."
That idea took off after they hosted their first private beach football event at Hermosa Beach in 2021. By 2024, they had over 120 athletes take part in their first-ever open tryout event at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire.
With momentum growing for the Beach Football League, Cyril and Banta-Cain decided it was time to go bigger.
The Beach Football League will host four tryout events this year in anticipation of an inaugural 2026 season.
"We're really excited to bring the biggest sport in America and take it to a different terrain, which is the sand, and make football accessible to kids in all social classes," Cyril told Patch. "The ultimate goal is to have beach football be an Olympic sport."
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The tryouts for "the world's first-ever tackle football league on sand played at a professional level" will begin May 10 in Hermosa Beach, according to Cyril.
Cyril and Banta-Cain will be looking for 20 to 40 players to make up the roster of the Hermosa Beach squad.
There will also be tryouts for East Coast teams, including in Wildwood, New Jersey from June 7 to 8 and Hampton Beach, New Hampshire from July 19 to 20.
The tryouts will consist of drills similar to the NFL Combine followed by a series of exhibition games.
Once teams have been selected, they'll compete in the Beach Football League's Inaugural season in 2026, Cyril said.
This league, according to Cyril, isn't just a chance for athletes to showcase their skills, but for them to achieve their dreams of playing in professional sports.
"There's a lot of talented players that unfortunately go unnoticed," Cyril said. "We're excited to provide them with another outlet to play professionally, to provide for their families and make a career out of it."
For eligibility rules and to register, click here.