The Beach Football League, founded by Super Bowl champion Tully Banta-Cain, kicked off its 2026 nationwide tour with the Santa Monica Beach Classic, an exhibition match between the Santa Monica Waves from the Beach Football League and the Silver State Stealth from the American 7s Football League on March 7th in Santa Monica. It was the league’s first of six events this season and was the first BFL game to be broadcast live on their YouTube channel and on Rumble Network.

For those of you unfamiliar with the BFL, it’s a new tackle football league created by Tully Banta-Cain. Instead of playing on a typical football field, the games are played on the beach with no pads. But just because there are no pads doesn’t mean it’s not physical. It’s still a tackle football league, but research shows that playing on the sand decreases the likelihood of major injuries, making it far safer than a normal tackle league.

The exhibition event featured a winner-takes-all $5,000 prize on the line. The Santa Monica Waves routed the Silver State Stealth, 31-0, despite some rough weather. The Waves are led by multiple former NFL players, such as Dexter McCluster, Tommie Harris, KeShun Freeman, Nathan Palmer, and Charles Ross, along with some former DI college football players and rugby players. The Waves are also coached by former UCLA Head Coach DeShaun Foster, so there are plenty of experienced players and coaches on the roster.

Before the start of the event, the NFL Players Choir, which features current and former NFL players such as Cam Newton, DeMarcus Williams, Tommie Harris, Steve Pierce, and Dwayne Wright, performed the National Anthem. It was a huge event, and it completely lived up to the hype.

“The Santa Monica Beach Classic was a big milestone for us,” BFL founder Tully Banta-Cain said. “To have former NFL players, Division-1 athletes, and entertainers all come together on the sand for our first live-streamed event shows the kind of experience we’re building with the Beach Football League. Even with the elements, the energy from the fans, the NFL Players Choir, and the level of play made it clear that beach football has the potential to become something really special as we expand the BFL tour in 2026.”

Fans can watch the full two-hour replay of the Santa Monica Beach Classic on the BFL’s YouTube channel.

What is the Beach Football League?

Tully Banta-Cain has been working relentlessly over the past few years to get the BFL up and running. The goal is to create a fun and safe alternative to the NFL for players who are retired but still love and want to continue playing the game of football. Banta-Cain sat down with EssentiallySports for an exclusive interview to talk about the creation of the BFL, and what he hopes it can become. You can also read about it here.

The BFL doesn’t just want to appeal to former players, though. Their goal is to make the game of football more accessible to everyone. Beach Football takes very little equipment to play. All you really need is a football. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on pads and a helmet, and make sure you have a perfectly mowed 100-yard field. You just need some sand and a football, and you’re good to go.

As we highlighted earlier, Beach Football is also a safer alternative to normal tackle football. Sand is proven to cause far fewer major injuries than other playing surfaces, so while there’s always a threat of injury when playing tackle football, playing on the sand minimizes the risk.

The Beach Football League is just getting started, and it’s already receiving a ton of attention. Their next event will be held in Santa Cruz on May 17th, followed by trips to Hermosa Beach, Newport, Boston, Old Orchard Beach, and Miami, so make sure you tune in to the BFL this summer.