Local politician introduces bill to save WW-PN football

The West Windsor-Plainsboro North football team is refusing to give up its fight against the NJSIAA, and now it’s getting some help from a local politician.

Assemblyman Daniel Benson, a democrat representing Mercer and Middlesex Counties, has introduced legislation to help rescue the North program, which has already announced it won’t field a varsity team this season, with a bill that would force the NJSIAA to allow public high schools in the same school district to enter into cooperative football agreement if they demonstrate an inability to field a team.

West Windsor administrators petitioned both the West Jersey Football League (WJFL) and NJSIAA to allow North to merge with its sister school South, but lost on all three appeals.

North is a Group III school and South is a Group IV. Under current NJSIAA guidelines, schools are prohibited from entering into a football co-op if one of the schools is Group III or higher.

Schools are placed in a group based on total enrollment and the number of players on a specific team.

North only had 24 players available for the upcoming season.

“Rapidly shifting demographics in certain school districts beg for an approach that’s not one-size-fits-all so students aren’t penalized because of rigid state regulations,” Benson said in a statement that also cited a National Federation of State High School Associations statistic that football participation is down 4.5 percent over the last decade.

“Football offers much more than just athletic rewards,” Benson continued. “It’s a community in and of itself and for many students it’s a pathway to future opportunities, opening door to college and beyond.

“It’s also a booster for countless other programs, such as the marching band and cheerleading, all of which would suffer if a football program is forced to shut down. This bill will ensure that programs can stay afloat for the sake of all students.”