Yorkton Minor Football wants to give youth in the city a chance to play, and their spring program has been developed as a way for youth to try out the sport or keep their skills up in the off season. Their kickoff games were held recently, with grades four to seven competing.
The grade four students competed against other kids in the community, while the grade five and six teams as well as the grade seven team went against kids from Preeceville and Canora.
Ryan Effa with Yorkton Minor Football describes the spring league as a low-pressure way for kids to get into the sport. They accept kids from all sizes and weight categories, while organized leagues have restrictions on that. The focus on the spring program is fundamentals, Effa explains, teaching kids basics like how to tackle, how to pass and hand off the ball.
“The best way to put it is a little bit of a taste of football.”
The goal is to try to be as open as possible for kids who want to try the sport, Effa explains.
“We provide all the equipment, it’s only a $50 registration fee. So it’s a very affordable way for kids to try the sport also, for those who have always wanted to give it a shot.”
For the kids, it’s a way to get a handle on the game, but it’s useful for the coaches as well, as they prepare the teams for Yorkton Minor Football’s fall season.
“It’s a good evaluation time for the coaches for the fall season, and get kids into it and decide if they want to play in the fall.”
The spring league has been growing significantly, with 70 kids from grades 4-6, and 30 grade 7 kids in the program, Effa describing it as growing the spring league into another phase.
“They have pretty much doubled in one year.”
The final jamboree tournament for the spring program will be June 18 at Century Field. Effa says that it’s a good opportunity for people to see what the program is all about. Teams from Canora, Kamsack, Preeceville, Wakaw and Watson will be coming down to the event.
Kids might have had a taste of football from the spring season, but they have to find out if they like it soon, because the deadline for fall registration is June 10.
The fall season is part of the Regina Football League, with games both within the city and in Regina on weekends. There are three divisions in the fall season, Mighty Mites, Atom and PeeWee, with a full season.
“It’s the more competitive league... Everything’s all about having fun.”
Anyone interested can contact Effa at 306-621-0025 or Jason Boyda at 306-620-9453.
