A thinning herd

Numbers are down as Warhorse Youth Football season approaches

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 1, 2022

Ron Wright explains a drill to players during Warhorse Youth Football practice at Veterans Park. The nonprofit organization's participation has declined, as teams prepare for the 2022 season. Photo by Fred McCormick

Football was an important part of Ron Wright’s childhood, growing up in the Swannanoa Valley. Every practice was a chance to work alongside his friends and neighbors, as they prepared to represent their hometown on the gridiron. 

“No matter where I went, I was always a Warhorse from Swannanoa,” said Wright, as the coach carefully surveyed a handful of players during a July 26 practice at Veterans Park. “Wearing that horseshoe really meant something when we were growing up.”

But, as the community’s youngest football players look ahead to the 2022 season, enrollment in the Warhorse Youth Football and Cheerleading League is at an all-time low. 

The nonprofit organization, which allows children, ages of 5 - 12, an opportunity to compete against teams across the region in the WNC Youth Football and Cheerleading League, has faced a sharp decline in participation since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Our numbers started going up before the pandemic,” said Warhorse Youth Football League President Matt Turner, who has been involved with the volunteer-led organization for eight years. “But, we’ve seen a lot of kids just settle in for the past couple of years, and a good number of them aren’t coming back out.”

The league will field two teams — Termites, ages 7-8, and Mites, ages 9-10 — when it participates in its jamboree scrimmage, Saturday, Aug. 6. The official weigh-in to open the season will be held the following week. 

“Really, if any kids want to play in the opening game on Aug. 20, they’d need to be here by Thursday, Aug. 11,” Turner said. “We can sign them up after that, but they wouldn’t be eligible to play until mid-season.”

The Warhorse Youth Football and Cheerleading League will play its first game of the season, Aug. 20. Photo by Fred McCormick

There are currently around 15 players on the Termites roster and 12 on the Mites, according to Turner.

“We could definitely use more,” he said. “We’ve got enough to play with those two teams, but we could use another 10-12, or really any we can get.”

The league will not field teams in the Pup (ages 5-6) or Midget (ages 11-12) divisions. While participation in Warhorse Cheer has doubled since last season, the decline in football players is likely the result of several factors, according to Turner.

“Participation is down across the board, in several organizations,” he said. “There are a few leagues that always have a lot of kids that don’t have any this year.

“For us, ages 11-12 are mostly sixth- and seventh-graders, and now seventh-graders can play on the junior varsity high school team,” Turner continued. “And the numbers on the Pups team have always been up-and-down.” 

Wright has been encouraged by the hard work and dedication of the players on his Termites team, but perplexed by the low turnout. 

“I started playing when I was 5 or 6 years old, and we had so many players here when I was growing up,” he said. “We had kids on the bench, so we could rotate players in and out.”

The Warhorse Youth Football League, which began practicing in July, will field teams in the Termite and Mite age groups this season. Photo by Fred McCormick

Lifelong friendships were developed on the practice field, Wright added, and all of the players were bonded by a common goal.

“We couldn’t wait to get to high school and play under the lights on Friday nights,” he said. “There was so much passion for that, and I feel like that’s something we need to get back.” 

That starts, he added, in youth football, where kids learn to play the game safely while developing the fundamental skills necessary to compete at the next level. 

“A lot of us were lucky to have coaches like Kenny Ford, Anthony Lee, Bill Mott, Jack Slaughter and so many more,” Wright said. “They really taught us how to play the game the right way, and it’s important that we carry that Warhorse legacy into the future.”

For more information on the Warhorse Youth Football and Cheerleading League, email owenwarhorseyfc@gmail.com, message @WarhorseYouthFootballandCheerleading or sign up in person at Veterans Park, from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays.