Football is a game in which kids of all sizes and varying degrees of athleticism can find their niche as individuals and excel as essential parts of a team.
There are jobs for strong beefy linemen who can hold off blockers, fleet-footed receivers who can use their speed to get open on the field to make catches or lean placekickers who can boot the ball through the uprights.
Craig Briere is convinced that the sooner kids start learning those skills, the better equipped they will be to advance to the high school levels and beyond into junior and university football, and that’s the motivation behind Prince George Kodiaks Football’s new spring 7 on 7 touch football league for kids in Grades 2-7.
“This is to get younger kids out and playing and it’s all focused on teaching fundamental skills, having a lot of fun and getting to play games on Friday nights at Masich under the lights,” said Briere. “The whole Kodiaks organization is all about player development and getting kids active in the sport and having fun teaching physical literacy.”
Practices are tentatively set to begin April 17 for the three-division league. The 10-week season which will run into late-June will include two evening practices (Mondays and Wednesdays, 6-7:30 p.m.) and weekly jamboree-style games on Friday nights at Masich Place Stadium. Each team will play three 20-minute games. Two games will be played at one time using half the field at Masich with scrimmages starting on the 40-yard line.
Practice sites will depend on where in the city you live. Kids who live in the Hart will practice there, and College Heights and Bowl-area kids will stick close to their neighbourhoods using school fields.
“No experience is necessary,” said Briere. “We actually like kids that have never played before, we can teach them all the skills. For equipment you just need a pair of cleats and a COVID mask. If you’re big, you’re small, you’re slow or you’re fast, there’s a spot for you, and that’s the cool thing about football is the inclusiveness.
“There’s lots of kids sitting at home and they’re like, ‘I can’t play basketball because I’m too big,’ or ‘I can’t play volleyball because I can’t jump,’ or I can’t play hockey because I didn’t learn to skate when I was young,” or ‘I can’t swim because I’m 220 pounds’. They come out for football and they instantaneously find their place.”
The Kodiaks are part of 7 on 7 Association of Canada, which is scheduled to host its first national championship in Calgary, June 26-27. If the pandemic diminishes enough to allow it, Briere says Prince George will enter one team in the three age divisions – Grades 7-8, Grades 9-10 and Grades 11-12.
“7 on 7 is certainly providing an opportunity for players to go out and play and to have a lot of fun and get exposure at the higher level,” said Briere. “Chase Claypool (a starting receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers) got noticed because he was playing 7 on 7. He didn’t get noticed playing at Abbotsford Secondary, he got noticed going to 7 on 7 tournaments in the United States.”
In 2019, the Kodiaks organization started a 7 on 7 league for high school players (Game Ready Elite), which provided off-season training. Last fall there were more than 200 players involved and games were played at College Heights Secondary School field. That continued this past winter with an indoor non-contact 5 on 5 league on the UNBC campus at the Northern Sport Centre. Both were touch football leagues.
Briere said no matter what restrictions remain in place for the spring league, he’s confident the players will be safe.
“We’ve been running programming in 7 on 7 since last June and we’ve had no issues with COVID or those sorts of things,” said Briere.
Registration fees are $125 for Football Fun, Grade 2 and 3 (available at teamsnap.com/forms/25982; $175 for Future Stars, Grade 4 and 5 (teamsnap.com/forms/259281), and $175 for Prospects, Grade 6 and 7 (teamsnap.com/forms/259279). There are already 100 kids registered and Briere expects double that number will be on the field once they start practicing later this month.
For more information email [email protected].
