Another Red Deer Minor Football League season is about to kick off and the numbers add up to a good year on the gridiron.
The peewee program has more than 60 players registered which is the best turnout in the past four years and the atoms are sitting at close to 90 players, said RDMF president Greg Thompson.
Those are strong mumbers and it’s no wonder football in Red Deer is quite healthy. Thompson says that’s a spinoff from solid Atom players.
“I think you’re seeing that at all levels but definitely at the peewee level. So in Atom they are getting the kids playing a few years prior to peewee and giving them the general basics before they get there is helping their longevity in the sport,” said Thompson.
The higher levels of football around the city are also reaping the benefit with players making provincial teams and national teams to play football,he said.
The coaching has plenty to do with the success of the program as many of those patrolling the sidelines have strong backgrounds in football.
Coaches like Jay Pike who is handling the head coaching duties for the peewee Steelers. He has coached atom and was an assistant one year at the peewee level where he learned more about the game.
“ The biggest thing is just the speed of the game, moving up from atom into peewee,” he said. “ It gets a little bit quicker and a little more physical.”
So his job is to make sure those atom players can make the adjustment to the peewee game when it comes to the rules and the strategy.
“ It’s a little more field position battles. Knowing when to kick it away and when to gamble on third down.”
The kicking game at that age can be tough, not only in making solid contact with the ball on kickoffs or punts, but also covering downfield on those plays.
“It’s mostly trying to get them to understand how to pursue a football when it’s in the air,” he said. “ So trying to get their angles of pursuit, trying to get them to close gaps before it opens up.”
Pike agrees the atom program has come a long way since the start, mainly due to some very good coaching which has the program developing good football players at quicker rate.
The three years of experience at that level allows peewee coaches to teach more skills at a deeper level and RDMF as well as the league itself is seeing the results.
He says one of the benefits of being a coach at this level is seeing the joy in the eyes of these kids as they make plays all over the field.
“It’s a great feeling when you see the kids get super excited because you’ve been teaching them something for a week straight and then they finally get it and it’s like Christmas day for them.”
The atom teams will play games at Rosedale Field once again this year while the peewee’s will use Westpark Middle School this year due to the upgrade happening down at Great Chief Park.
