Welcome back football
Parks and Rec creates youth league
Friday, March 19, 2010
By JAMES A. McCRAY III
Staff writer
The Enterprise
I remember when Jimmy was on the field only as a pound-football player.
Now look at him leading his high school to a state title. What a great story.
A few years from now, that story, along with many other similar stories will often be told in football stands throughout St. Mary's County on Friday nights.
That, due in large part to the formation of the St. Mary's Recreation and Parks Youth Football League, a league formed to allow young children from the ages of 5 to 14 to participate in organized football activity in proper age and weight divisions starting in the fall of this year.
Recreation Division manager Arthur Shepherd was more than pleased at the creation of the league after last year having three different youth football leagues in play throughout the county.
"We, the department, made the recommendation that we would offer, what you would call a club model program," Shepherd said. "…We thought we had something good in the club model, so that we could have a bright future for youth football.
"The leagues then came to us and said that they would like to participate in that, and we have been working with them ever since."
There will be four clubs within the league, including the Leonardtown Wildcats playing home games at Dorsey Park in Leonardtown, the Lexington Park Hornets and Pax River Raiders each playing at Lancaster Park in Lexington Park, and the Mechanicsville Braves playing its home games at Fifth District Park in Mechanicsville.
And, according to Sheppard, more than 50-plus teams may be active during the season due to the varying age and weight divisions.
"We want to create a safe and positive recreation experience through youth football, so that all children to have a safe and positive place to play," Shepherd said. "…This can grow in many different ways for kids who want to continue to play football in the future. … But I want to accentuate that the main goal is to provide positive youth development through football."
Recreation and Parks will handle schedules, officials and weigh-ins, and respective clubs will each handle activities such as registration, fundraisers and all team activities.
And as the league provides kids time-well spent with practices and games, the league will also help prepare youth for possible high school football.
Great Mills High School head football coach Bill Griffith believes that the league is a nice preparation tool for kids wanting to continue the sport in high school.
"I think it's great," Griffith said. "I think it will help give kids a heads up for when they do get to our school. … You have to get kids more opportunities to play and get more involved with the sport. That way, they can have an idea prior to getting to school."
If the first season of the league goes off with success, Shepherd left open the possibility of expansion, but not after first starting strong with this season.
"What we want to do is in these first couple of years make sure we prepare a solid foundation," Shepherd said. "As youth football grows, there definitely could be more clubs added to the program."
And if all continues to go well, many stories and memories will be told in high school stands as former league players lead their respective high schools to state championships.
For early online registration, interested football and cheerleader parents and youth can go to Southern MD Youth Football League for information on the Wildcats, Hornets and Braves, and Pax River Raiders St. Mary's County Youth Football & Cheerleading for additional information on the Raiders.
jmccray@somdnews.com
