First and 10 for ’17
Four-down, 12-per-side action from 9:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. in Sunday kickoffs at Kiwanis Field
If you’re looking for a place your child can play football this summer in Niagara, the Niagara Regional Minor Football Association (NRMFA) has you covered.
The association hosted its first season in 1999 after a group formed to bring minor football back to the region.
“There was a regional football league in the ‘80s,” David Sauer, the association’s current president, said.
Coaches in the five centres – Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Welland, West Lincoln - focus on the development of young players and football, teaching them the proper ways of tackling, strategies, as well as the rules of the game.
“What separates our league from others is teaching football to the younger age groups and allowing every player to have a chance to play,” Sauer said. “We don’t consider the league as ‘house league,’ but it also isn’t competitive enough to be a rep league.”
“We play competitive football against other cities and share some of the values of house league, assuring every child gets a chance to take the field and that they have positions.”
Having fun and enjoying the game is a key aspect of the NRFMA, which this season will once again be fielding teams in three divisions: atom, peewee and bantam.
The atom division is for players born in 2007-2009, peewee for players born from 2005-2006 and bantam for football players born in 2003-2004.
“Practices and games are about what’s happening on the field,” Sauer said. “We teach the basics of football and the fundamentals required to play the sport safely and competitively.”
“The (centre) directors and the executive work to maximize football for the kid’s experience.”
Rules are the same throughout the league.
“We as directors really try to make the league fair and equal.”
Players from Thorold are assigned to teams that play their home games in Welland, while those from Port Colborne and Wainfleet are assigned to teams that play out of Welland.
“There’s a real community atmosphere, with each team representing the city and having their own nickname,” Sauer said.
“For example, teams in Fort Erie are called the Longhorns and Welland is named the TigerCats and Niagara Falls has both the Argos and Lions.”
The league has been co-ed since its inception.
“The league has always been open to males and females,” Sauer said. “We’ve had girls play throughout the years and even some of my best players at the younger age have been girls,”
When it comes to player development, the NRMFA and the Niagara Spears fall under the same football umbrella. Sauer pointed out the relationship between minor football and the rep program.
“The NRMFA is responsible for developing players at the younger level and then the Spears take over at the rep level with varsity and junior varsity teams,” he said.
With the exception of downs, four instead of three, the league follows Canadian Football League rules, playing 12 aside on a 110-yard field.
“What we notice is three downs is difficult to move the ball at our age groups, so we have implemented the great Canadian rules in our league and increased the downs to four.”
Concern over the health and safety of players in contact sports, from the professional ranks down to the grassroots, has increased over the past decade. This is especially so when it comes to concussions.
Sauer said the risk of suffering head injuries hasn’t impacted player registration. The association, he said, has developed a plan in which coaches teach players not to lead into tackles with their head.
“The league has addressed the parents’ concerns and has adapted,” Sauer said. “We use Heads Up Football that Canada uses.”
A head safety penalty instituted last year underscores this commitment to player safety in the region’s minor football league.
“If a player uses his head as a weapon in our league, we punish them with sitting out the half of football and we teach them how to correctly do things,” Sauer said. We take concussions and players’ safety very seriously.”
If a player uses his head as a weapon in our league, we punish them with sitting out the half of football and we teach them how to correctly do things.” Niagara Regional Minor Football Association president David Sauer