Phoenixville, Pottstown meet for full day of youth football
While nationwide figures indicate the number of players participating in youth tackle football are down, Pottstown and Phoenixville seem to be on the rise.
The two communities and other local areas are part of the youth football travel program that includes the entire Pioneer Athletic Conference. That league now encompasses 12 high schools.
The two teams got together for four games during a full day of football at Phoenixville’s Washington Field on Sept. 17.
Contests were played in the third grade (8 years old), fourth grade (9 years old), fifth grade (10 years old) and sixth grade (11 years old).
The main reason overall numbers are down in playing football is because of the high numbers involved in players suffering concussions/head injuries due to the violent nature of the sport with a lot of helmet-to-helmet contact. That aspect has been part of a trickle-down effect from the National Football League problems as well as other pro leagues and continuing down into other pro circuits, colleges, senior high schools, middle schools (also junior high) and finally down to the youth organizations.
Josh Yorgey is the president of Pottstown Police Athletic League (PAL) while Courtenay Williamson is president and Steve Watson is vice president of the Phoenixville group.
“This is my first year of running the program,” said Yorgey. “I had never been part of it. They had some issues and I wanted to go in and fix them up.”
His methods have worked. Pottstown has increased its number of players competing in tackle football to 104.
“This is the most we’ve had,” said Yorgey.”This is the first year we have had a team at every level and two flag teams.”
Yorgey attributes the growth mostly a strong volunteer work ethic. That group of people has used social media to spread the word about the merits and safety of playing youth football.
“It is a matter of getting the word out,” said Yor- Phoenixville cheerleader Sydney King cheers on the 3rd grade team.
gey. “There is nothing like bridging the gap from the old way to the new way.”
Pottstown has increased its numbers by 30 in tackle football. Last year there was no fourth grade participants at all. In 2016, to the contrary, the fourth grade ranks as the second-highest in the organization.
Yorgey reported that some 500 spectators attended opening day ceremonies this season. He said that helps illustrates the high interest in youth football among both youngsters and adults.
The Pottstown program has been in existence for about 20 years. Phoenixville, on the other hand, is only its second year of this type of competition. The Phoenixville area has benefited fromthe Phoenixville Marian Youth Club (PMYC) organization for more than 60 years. That group serves a similar age bracket of 8 to 13 mainly but limits play to one geographic territory.
Williamson said Phoenixville’s program has elevated from78to110injustoneyear. “The numbers going forward for the second season are looking phenomenal.”
Besides that, the number of girls interested in doing cheerleading has also shown a sharp increase. That number has increased from 17 to 40.
Both Pottstown and Phoenixville had young girls performing cheerleading routines that day aswell as throughout the season.
Officials on both sides said they are using equipment that is highly protective and safe in preventing injuries. And to be sure, when players do suffer head injuries, there are strict rules about having themsee a doctor for proper treatment before than can return to the field for practice and games. The proper length of time to have players sidelined is determined by doctors, trainers and other medical personnel.
Another big positive is the rivalries and friendships that are being created at a young age and then continuing for the players who continue to play football on up through the middle school and senior high school levels.
Williamson said his aim is to have Phoenixville’s numbers at the high school level increase during the next five years due to the positive influence of this grass roots youth program that is teaching kids the fundamentals of the game.
That proper administration will help create more respect and pride in their individual programs as they participate in football in the beginning at age 5 or 6 all the way through to the end of their scholastic careers at 17.