Wearable sports technology company introduces nighttime gaming after extensive field-testing.

Boston, MA — October 15, 2015 |  AfterDark Technologies, a sports-technology company dedicated to changing how and when sports can be played, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter for the AfterDark Flag Football Kit — a fiber optic and interactive LED kit so players can play flag football in the evenings without the cost or inconvenience of floodlit fields.

Flag football is the non-contact form of American or tackle football. In flag football, physical tackles are replaced by pulling flags worn by players –making the sport more accessible to different ages and types of players. Today flag football has an estimated 20 million players worldwide.

The AfterDark Flag Football kit includes lighted jerseys and flags; cones to mark the playing field and end zones; an interactive visual rush countdown on the quarterback’s jersey; and a brightly-lit football. It has been designed for and tested by adults and children aged six and up, and is suited for kids playing catch and throw in the back yard to seasoned weekly leagues.

The kit overcomes a challenge facing flag football players – finding and paying for floodlit fields to play on after dusk. This was a challenge regularly faced by Daniel Wilson, the founder of AfterDark Technologies. Dan explained: “It’s frustrating to run out of daylight during a game, or to face the cost and time of finding a lit field. So we started out creating a nighttime gaming kit that would allow us to play after dusk and without a lit field. What we’ve discovered from playing with the kit – and the tremendous feedback we’ve had from users – is that the AfterDark flag football kit is fun, it’s exhilarating for people to play and it changes the game. Now we want to introduce as many people as possible to the concept of nighttime gaming.”

Feedback from testers in the US and the UK includes:

• “It was the most fantastically surreal experience, akin to alien flag football.” – Sheffield Vipers

• “We had such an awesome time. The game felt so futuristic and our fans can’t wait to play again.” – Texas Sports & Social Club

• “It was like moths to a flame. Once people saw us playing with the gear they were all in and wondered how they could join the team.” – Babson College

• “Once dusk fell, the different colored sideline cones gave us an awesome setting for a game of football.” — Newcastle Blackhawks

• “The equipment is well made and comfortable. It provides a fantastic visual for spectators and for those on the pitch.” – Glasgow Hornets

• “It’s like playing in Tron” –Social Boston Sports

With a funding goal of $60,000 to manufacture the wearable sports kit and take it to market, AfterDark’s crowdfunding campaign pledges range from $5 to $900, with a commitment of $149 for a two-player (1v1) kit and $649 for a ten-player (5v5) kit with referee jersey.  Each kit contains fiber-optic jerseys that light the player and the flags – each jersey can be easily switched between six colors and comes with a pair of flags; LED cones to define the field and end-zones; an LED-powered football; a travel bag for easy travel and storage; and kits of 5v5 and upwards also include a spare jersey for a referee.

To support AfterDark Technologies and nighttime gaming on Kickstarter, please click here or tweet us at @AfterDarkTech

About AfterDark Technologies

AfterDark Technologies is a Massachusetts-based sports technology startup dedicated to changing how and when sports are played. The company’s first sports kit, the AfterDark Flag Football Kit, uses fiber optics and interactive LEDs to light players, flags, balls and fields for games after dark.

Images: www.afterdarktechnologies.com
Video: www.kickstarter.com

Media contact

Jonathan Harry | Prompt on behalf of AfterDark Technologies Inc
US Tel: 866 640 6664 | UK tel:+44 (0) 845 053 9121 afterdark@prompt-communications.com