The story of MidAmerica 7v7 Football, from a realization to a regional movement,
is the story of Trevor and Jennifer Bollers' journey with 7v7 football. In 2016, traveling
the country with their son TJ to find more opportunities for him to improve as a
defensive lineman, Trevor noticed a huge disparity in the number of Midwestern
students receiving football scholarships compared to other regions. Confused as to why
so many highly skilled players were being passed by, he talked to coaches, and was
told that players from the Midwest just didn’t have “the touches, the game knowledge, or
the experience that kids from other places had.” What was the Midwest missing?
The answer was 7v7 football. While the Midwest was in its offseason, teams in
other regions continued to play and practice through the spring with 7v7 football. Trevor
knew teams in Iowa played 7v7 all the time for practices, but hadn’t heard of any
leagues for it in the state. Looking further into it, he found there were players traveling
as far as Florida to play 7v7 in the spring.
So, aiming to make a home for 7v7 football in the state of Iowa, Trevor called 50
schools. Three answered: Iowa City West, Clear Creek Amana High School, and
Thomas Jefferson High School. The three schools met at Tiffin City Park for the state’s
first independent 7v7 event, which Trevor called “a shot heard around the Midwest”. Out
of this first event came the Iowa Elite Playmaker Circuit, a series of three events.
When the Covid-19 pandemic began, Trevor and Jennifer worried it might be the
end of their new 7v7 events. But partnering with Adam Bolander and Cedar Falls Tourism, they were able to host
the Back 2 Ballin tournament at the UNI Dome, a tournament which “has become the
jewel of the Midwest when it comes to 7v7 touch football events”, breaking records for 6
years.
Over the years, MidAmerica 7v7 Football has grown to include teams and
organizations across the Midwest. "Our goal is creating an ecosystem for athletes to fall
in love with the game of football, giving them the chance to learn and grow as players," Bollers explains
"Since 2018, hundreds of athletes have come through our doors and played in our
tournaments. Many of those athletes have gone on to attend and play for division three,
division two, and even division one schools."
From humble beginnings in Tiffin City Park with the Bollers family running events,
to today with over 4,000 athletes and 400 organizations participating in events, and as recently as this year, adding girls' flag to our circuit. The MidAmerica 7v7 journey is still only just beginning. Building amazing relationships with a
variety of organizations and seeing other programs grow alongside us, has been
fantastic. Thanks to the Bollers’ hard work and determination to bring 7v7 football to the
Midwest. We look forward to the next 5 years of MidAmerica 7v7 Football and thank you for joining us on this journey.