Knoxville Youth Football Programs

[ShaneC]

Like I said if you want to see Middle School football, just donate the money.  Football is very expensive to run and you should know that.  The main thing I see is insurance being a big issue and that takes a lot of money out of the Knox County School funds.  Also, I don't think Daddies has anything to do with Youth league sports because a lot of daddies arent' in their childs life and they dont' support thier child like they should.  It's all about the momas in youth league sports..

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My thing being a city employee, write a letter to Bill Haslam and try to get something started... Go to your kids middle school and try to get something started... Emerald Avenue Youth Foundation is coacing the Fulton Super Midgets and only taking kids who will be playing for Fulton next year... So the Knox Falcons are getting kids to start playing for their high school team and others migh need to try that...

[possumcop]

I know high school insurance is expensive, $2000 to $4000 per team per yr. I don't know what you pay for midget ball, but I do know what it costs for middle schools -- $5 for TMSAA catastrophic insurance coverage, $8-10 for a school insurance policy that covers school day activities which includes tackle football below the 9th grade. And if that is not enough coverage, a little know fact (at least a lot of coaches and principals don't know about it) the TSBA, TN School Board Assoc. has a multithousands of $$$ policy that will cover anything the other policies don't.

Insurance is no excuse at the middle school level. Knoxville people should get together and take the matter with full support to the school board.

[possumcop]

Still waiting for a reply from AERoadrunners. It sounds to me like both ShaneC and AERoadrunners are very enthusiastic and knowledgable men that could take the bull by the horns and start the popularization of middle school football in Knoxville if you can sell yourselves on the idea. I support you guys and I support anything that is best for kids. I have just been trying to play the devils advocate to stir up interest in the subject with you guys because I feel it is the best way to ready young players for high school and beyond.

[splainshornet]

Better call Mayor Ragsdale, the city schools went out of business in 1987.

[possumcop]

splainshornet, you seem to be a long standing member and some type of moderator on this site. Care to share some views about middle school programs vs super midget? :justwrestle:

[AERoadrunners]

Possumcop, if you start it, i'll follow you. I just don't won't the county schools to end up like Chattanooga School System by cutting middle school sports because of lack of funds. But like everyone is telling you, Call Haslam or Ragsdale and see what they have to say

[possumcop]

Well I'm one of those out of K-Town coaches from the conference that Powell is wanting to fully compete with. All of us are supportive of their plight would like to see a balooning of support from the other middle schools and the community for Powell and themselves. I'm not trying to interfere in Knoxville affairs, but rather drum up more teams for a growing conference with a bonifide playoff system.

 

As for Chattanooga they are in a political upheaval that will pass when "no child left behind" goes the way of countless other federal mandates that states have to put up with occasionally. But even Chattanooga only supplies pay supplements to coaches and does not pay for the running of the programs themselves. :justwrestle:

[splainshornet]

I don't think there are enough qualified people to coach middle school football in Knox County Schools. We have 14 middle schools with varying enrollments from 500 - 1,500. The schools are already scrapping money from everywhere to get general funds, I don't know if schools can afford to purchase equpiment or pay the fee to join the state assocation.

 

JMHO

[Pilot Coach]

I am a Pilot Football Coach and I wanted to clear up a couple thinks.

 

Pilot does not pay thier coaches, like every other team it is 100% volunteer.

 

Pilot does not buy our players shoes, there may have been occations when a coach pitched in to help a less fortunite player get the equipment he or his family may couldn't afford to purchase. In this day and age it would be a crime for a child not to play football because his family couldn't afford to buy him shoes.

 

Pilot doesn't recruit or offer money for kids to play.

Pilot over the years has produced some very good teams. Because of this tradition that is being established many parents have brought their children to our program.

Last year the pilot 10 year old team went to Atlanta ,GA over Thanksgiving and played in the National Championship, finishing National Runner-up.

 

The other comments can only be chaulked up as pure jelousy for what hard work has accomplished with the pilot programs.

[PANTHER2331]

Dallas Grass, Pilot may not pay their coaches per se and anyone with a heart would buy a kids cleats if he needed them but couldn't afford them. However, to say that Pilot doesn't recruit players or promise them anything in return for playing is laughable. They consistently approach players, sometimes right after games, and attempt to stockpile talent. Some of the Pilot teams have 7-8 backs that would be the feature back for any other team in the league. But, the biggest issue is that there is no rule against this. The league is set up like a summer backetball AAu team. The coaches are free to recruit any player they want and the player can play for any team they want. These kids and parents must ask themselves this: do I want to be on a team that is the best around and sit the bench or do I want to be on a lesser team and gain valuable, meaningful game experience. If you are in college I see this as being debatable but as this is a developmental age, I think the answer is clear- play where you play, unless you enjoy being a chearleader. There was another local team that played in the National Championship in Norwood and won the championship.

[ShaneC]

[Pilot doesn't recruit or offer money for kids to play.

Pilot over the years has produced some very good teams. Because of this tradition that is being established many parents have brought their children to our program.

Last year the pilot 10 year old team went to Atlanta ,GA over Thanksgiving and played in the National Championship, finishing National Runner-up.

 

Well let me say something Pilot coach, I know of many kids that play at Pilot and alot of them don't come from low income families... I know that you guys do recruit, because Brandon Taylor and Josh Salyer both played for the Roadrunners last year, and somehow they are playing for Pilot this year... Lets see AE to Webb, that is a long drive and alot of parents are not gonna drive down there unless they were offered something good...

 

Now your talking about the National runner-up team, well this year that certain 11 yr old team will not make it back to Atlanta... The big reason for that is gonna be the Knoxville Falcons #1 Pee-wee team... They are loaded at every position, and they have some of the best 11 yr old athletes in the city... This year it will not come down to Mookie causing a fumble for you guys to win, it will come down to talent because the Falcons have some of the best talent I have seen... Yeah Pilot has alot of talent but you guys have not seen nothing yet... The team has 12 of the Roadrunners 10 yr old team of last year... I cannot wait to see my boys play Pilot because it is all about payback this year and the Knoxville Falcons are ready to show what they have and that is a team...

[AERoadrunners]

I am a Pilot Football Coach and I wanted to clear up a couple thinks.

 

Pilot does not pay thier coaches, like every other team it is 100% volunteer.

 

Pilot does not buy our players shoes, there may have been occations when a coach pitched in to help a less fortunite player get the equipment he or his family may couldn't afford to purchase. In this day and age it would be a crime for a child not to play football because his family couldn't afford to buy him shoes.

The other comments can only be chaulked up as pure jelousy for what hard work has accomplished with the pilot programs.

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You being a coach, of course you're going to stick up for your team. There's a lot of Knox Metro League coaches, players and parents know what Pilot does. We know how they use a lot of essentials to try to lure players to their program. We know that it's a long drive from East Knoxville to Webb High School to play football when they can play for a team that's 2 or 3 minutes from their house. We know what goes on. Like I said before, I go to church with some Pilot players and I also work with a Pilot parent and I hear everything about what they do for them to get their sons to come and play. I'm not going to sit here an fuss with you because you aon't do nothing but back your team but we all know what goes on down West.

 

Saying that we're jealous of what you are doing, that's just plain cat poop. No team is jealous of Pilot's program, they're just feed up with what you all are doing.

 

 

I heard Pilot won't be having a Midgets team this year, how true is that? Also, let me know how BT and JS is doing for the Pee Wees.

 

The Baby Roadrunners will not have enough players to field a Pee Wee team, but the rest of the teams will be hard to reckon with. Good Luck to all teams and I'll see ya at the Jamboree!