Time to merge Danbury youth football?

Recently a meeting took place between a group of about 15-to-20 parents of Danbury youth football players and the coaching staff of Danbury High School. This was in coordination with the Davis Elite Athletics spring tackle football league.

The focus of the conversation was on the benefits of football as a sport, and the lessons that it teaches on the field, things like overcoming adversity, achieving personal goals, teamwork, respect, and personal challenge. Coach Tieri and Coach Davis at the high school did a great job of communicating how this is achieved through a sound football program and culture, and how it translates into the lives of these young player/athletes off the field as well.

The focus quickly then changed to the challenges this community faces in terms of tackle football as a sport. Numbers of late have been on the decline, a challenge which can be attributed to several factors. The increasing popularity of other sports, a decreased level of engagement of our youth, fear.

But in Danbury as these numbers have declined, we have an additional challenge layered on top of it all. We have two organizations competing for the same pool of players. This has lead to situations that are less than ideal both on and off the field. We have rosters with numbers in the teens, which leads to unproductive practices, overworked players, and a struggle for success, and safety. It has also created a division amongst the kids within their social circles and in the schools; a problem further manifested by the use of social media.

Brought together this spring we witnessed first hand what it

could be like and it was awesome! But we also saw kids from the two organizations pointing blame when things went wrong and on social media it quickly became Hatters vs. Trojans. It is time this town and the two programs come together. The numbers no longer support the need for two organizations, at least not in the current incarnation where they compete for the same kids at the same age levels.

The gap in differences between Pop Warner and the AYF format have closed. Pop Warner is no longer weight based; they play in an an age based system 8U, 10U, 12U, and 14U, whereas AYF has a group for all of the age brackets 8, 9, 10, 11, etc. The towns they face on their schedule are essentially the same, and about the only differences now lie in special teams play, and the uniform. So why the need for two organizations?

The only answer I have heard is history and tradition. But if I consider history, I recall a time when Danbury had a football culture that was envied by other towns. The number of kids who wanted to play exceeded capacity. But like history, this is a thing of the past. What we need is to consider the present. And rebuild for the future. And do it in a way that eliminates division and instead unites our players and our community.

As a parent, I am calling for a meeting of all parents of youth tackle football players, along with the heads of the two youth organizations and all of the coaches. As parents let’s understand all of the facts, hear from the two organizations, and then be heard. The politics of all of this only hurts the kids and exposes the players.

There is a Facebook group that has been created: Danbury CT Youth Football Parents. Join the group, spread the word, and let’s get this right!