[DEVILOLOGIST]

Our low numbers are not a result of changing football,, changing football is a result of low numbers!!!!
When I graduated there were 1200 kids in the high school... Now there are 650. HALF !!!!! almost.... Now if you look at the number of kids that are out then cut those by half. If yo uhad 50 kids on a 9th grade team you now have 25 max. Now we did not have Soccer, fall baseball, or academic team when I went to school,, So that limited the extra activities that a kid could choose. Other than the band the next big thing was ROTC, we did not have guys in the flag corp, on the cheer squad or anything like that.( I aint knocking our male cheerleader, he is a better tumbler that all the girls put together). What I am saying is that you can not blame the low turn out on the current football set up..
The 6th grade had 30 kids out,
The 7th grade had 32 kids last year as 6th grade, I dont know how many now but they have alot.
The 8th grade has quite a few also.. The 6th grade is the smallest SPORTS class in a 5 year span. I still have 28 kids on the roster, every kid gets to play every game and I would say that since I have scheduled double games with some teams every kid will get to play at least 6 complete games plus more. So I know that kids at some level do not get to play the complete game.. So what do you propose..

1. If you combine all the the kids in 6-8th grade you are looking at 75 kids roughly, if you divide them by you get about 19 kids on a team...... Now if you have 19 kids on a team, 11 start, 8 will not.. of those 8 that dont -ALL of those will be 6th graders most likely.. Now you get in the same situation you are in now. NO PLAYING TIME..but only for the 6th graders.. Now you bring up another issue.. How many 6th graders could play agains the 8th graders.. You have 5-7 8th graders playing freshman ball now and the size of those boys are fantastic. Now do you think a 6th grader would want to go against them???? I think not,,, so then yo uhave to HIDE your smaller player,, Nose tackle, or where ever. I dont see that splitting the 6-8 grade teams will solve anything. If it did anything it would drive the 6th graders totally out of football for one year...

2. This has been a conversation for the last 5 years in the JFL,, no one has an answer and no one wants to take responsibility for the outcome. We vote every year on this same freakin issue and it stays the same..... I personally think it is working but of course my kid gets PT. if he did not I would prolly look at it different.. But the changing of the program will not make kids play better, they will mature at differnet rates and play at different levels....... I feel that there is no ANSWER to the problem but willing to listen from others........

The only thing I dont like to hear is that the reason our program is going down hill is because of playing time, or kids dont get the opportunity to play other positions......


Here is one thought:
1. Redraft the entire league each year, Maroon pants and a Maroon practice jersey and a white practice jersey. Number the kids from 1-99 and they keep the number from the time they start to the time they leave..

2. Each kid will have the opportunity to play for a variety of coaches and you never have to buy another uniform as long as you ar ei the league.. If you outgrow the uni, trade up of down depending on what you can not wear.. Everyone around you will be wearing the same exact thing and it would not be hard to find gear.......

3. Each team will have 2 practice jerseys, one for home and then away,, Maroon or white..... Each year the kids will already have the uni. One purchase- one price, good for 4 years. This way no matter what team you get picked for you are already outfitted....

THOUGHTS !!!???????????