🏈 How 7-on-7 Took Over Football

Happy Wednesday,

If you look at almost any youth sport today, you’ll notice the same trend: the off-season is no longer an off-season.

• Basketball has AAU

• Baseball has travel ball

• And football increasingly has 7-on-7

What started as a simple offseason passing drill has quietly become one of the fastest-growing segments of football.

This week, Jake and I sat down with Ty Thomas, founder of My7on7, to understand what’s actually happening inside the sport (and why it’s growing so quickly).

Ty’s league alone has expanded from 150 players to nearly 8,000 participants in just over a decade. And as the format spreads nationally, it’s raising bigger questions about the future of football development, youth sports culture, and where the sport might go next.

🎧 [Listen to our full episode with Ty Thomas]

5 Takeaways From Our Conversation With Ty Thomas

1. 7-on-7 has exploded, and it’s not slowing down

When Ty started My7on7 about 12–13 years ago, the league had 150 kids participating in the spring. Today, the program runs year-round and has close to 8,000 participants annually.

The growth isn’t just local either. My7on7 is now expanding across 15–20 states, from California to the Carolinas and down into Texas and Florida.

And Ty believes the ceiling is much higher.

As he put it during the conversationl “I see it being a couple of million in the next 10 years.” But that’s not just because more football players are joining. It’s also because many 7-on-7 players don’t play tackle football at all.

Ty estimates that roughly 20–25% of players in his system never play tackle, suggesting the sport is attracting an entirely new segment of athletes.

2. 7-on-7 isn’t the same as flag football

One of the most common misconceptions is that 7-on-7 and flag football are the same sport. They’re not.

As Ty explained, 7-on-7 is designed to mirror 11-man football:

• Offensive route concepts

• Quarterback progressions

• Defensive coverages

Everything maps directly back to the tackle game.

Flag football, on the other hand, is something entirely different. Ty described it bluntly, “Seven-on-seven and tackle football are like sister and brother. Flag football is like second or third cousin down the line somewhere.”

That distinction matters more than people realize, because while flag football is becoming an Olympic sport, 7-on-7 is increasingly becoming the developmental pipeline for traditional football players.

3. The sport actually feeds players back into tackle football

One of the biggest concerns from traditional coaches is that 7-on-7 will replace tackle football, but Ty’s data suggests the opposite.

In My7on7 leagues, about 25% of participants had never played football before; however, after experiencing the sport through the non-contact format, roughly 11% of those players later transitioned into tackle football.

In other words, 7-on-7 is functioning as a recruiting funnel for the sport itself. Instead of pulling kids away from football, it’s bringing in new athletes.

Ty explained that once kids learn the strategy and concepts through 7-on-7, the jump to tackle football becomes much less intimidating.

4. The biggest fear? Football’s “AAU-ification”

Even with the growth, there’s still tension around the sport.

Many high school coaches worry that 7-on-7 could become football’s version of AAU basketball, where private trainers and travel teams begin competing with school programs. Ty acknowledged the concern.

When outside training programs try to claim credit for developing players or influence where athletes attend school, it can create friction with high school coaches. That’s where the “AAU” label starts appearing.

But Ty’s goal is to keep the structure aligned with school programs.

His leagues encourage high school teams to participate together, treating 7-on-7 more like a glorified captain’s practice where players can get reps in the offseason.

5. The culture of football is changing

Beyond development, 7-on-7 is creating a different cultural environment around football.

Without pads or helmets, players are more visible.

• There’s more individuality

• More personality

• More social media exposure

As Ty explained, the format naturally lends itself to highlights.

Players can show their style, celebrate big plays, and build an online presence (something that’s much harder to do in traditional tackle football).

And that visibility is part of what’s drawing so many athletes into the format.

Why It Matters

7-on-7 football sits at the intersection of several major trends shaping sports right now.

1. Youth sports are becoming year-round: the traditional offseason is disappearing as parents and athletes look for every edge in development.

2. Non-contact versions of contact sports are growing rapidly: especially as safety concerns around concussions continue to influence participation decisions.

3. Athlete individuality and content creation are becoming central to sports culture: particularly for younger athletes raised on social media.

7-on-7 checks all three boxes.

It develops football skills, reduces physical risk, and creates an environment where players can showcase themselves in ways traditional football rarely allows.

That combination is a big reason the sport is growing so quickly.

And if Ty is right about where things are headed, 7-on-7 may not just be an offseason training format; it could become a parallel ecosystem to tackle football, with its own leagues, stars, and culture.

🎧 [Listen to our full episode with Ty Thomas]

📩 And don’t forget: Bottom of the Ninth is back this Friday with the top three stories in sports and business from the week.

See you then,
Tyler & Jake