Spring tackle league a rousing success
The Niagara Regional Minor Football Association’s junior varsity tackle football league made a triumphant return this spring.
After a one-year absence, the league came back boasting 250 players in Grades 9 through 11.
“The season was really successful and we had six teams playing. Next year, we are looking at bumping it to eight teams,” said NRMFA vice-president Vince Angelini, who spearheaded the league along with NRMFA president Bruce Macrae. “It was successful because of the high school coaches that we had and we brought in some university coaches and university players to help out. That knowledge was a huge contributor to the kids’ success.”
A.N. Myer had two teams in the league and single teams came from Greater Fort Erie, West Niagara and Blessed Trinity. Players also came from schools such at St. Catharines Collegiate and Saint Francis.
“One player from Saint Francis gave a shoutout to the league in one of your (BPSN) stories and those boys were awesome. They kept getting better and better every week and we are hoping that that breeds more kids coming out.”
Moving the league to the spring from the summer turned out to be an excellent decision.
“It was two or three days a week and they were able to keep their work commitments and they were able to enjoy their summer. It gave them a break and they were able to roll right into the high school season without missing a beat,” he said. “We have been talking to coaches from this year and they’re telling me that their Grade 10s and 11s that played are off to a great start. They found kids in the spring that probably would not have come out this fall and those kids are either starting or playing big roles on their teams.”
The league was popular with players for a number of reasons, especially financially.
“This league gives kids who don’t want to play travel an opportunity whether because they don’t want to travel or they can’t afford the costs that come with that. It gives them a chance to play at a cheap, cheap discount and, at the end of the day, they stay close to home,” Angelini said.
He believes the spring league is an important component to keeping tackle football healthy in Niagara.
“We want to go in small steps and we don’t want to do anything too big. Bruce Macrae and myself have been working closely with the coaches and we’re continuing to have discussions with coaches who aren’t on board with it yet,” he said. “We think that this could help keep the smaller programs in the (high school) league. We hear about teams folding and whatnot and we think that if kids continue to come out in the spring they will come out in the fall.”
This fall, Lakeshore Catholic folded its senior team just before the season started and Saint Michael folded its senior team this week prior to a game against Saint Francis.
League games were played this spring at A.N. Myer, West Niagara and Greater Fort Erie and the league is hoping to add Blessed Trinity as a site next year. Blessed Trinity opened its new turf field this fall.
All of it is made possible with the help of plenty of volunteers.
“We had so many. I was typically at the Myer field every week and there were coaches coming in from all over,” Angelini said.
The rebirth of the league had its roots last summer when Angelini was helping the A.N. Myer football program with jamborees (scrimmages) in Niagara.
