Youth football is coming back to Siler City this fall.
After a year without the youth football program offered by Siler City Parks and Recreation, the Siler City Youth Football League, headed by former Siler City Parks and Recreation director and current SCYFL board president Donald Dones, will offer tackle football for the following age groups: 5/6 years old, 7/8 years old, 9/10 years old, 11/12 years old and 13/14 years old (not in high school).
SCYFL currently holds free football workouts every Sunday at 5 p.m. at Bray Park, and it’s open to ages 5 to 14. At the workouts, kids interested in playing in the SCYFL can register for $125. According to Dones, players are encouraged to register by Aug. 1, but registration will be open until rosters are filled.
“I’m giving (kids) an opportunity to play in Siler City where they live,” Dones said. “I think it’s ridiculous that parents have to spend gas and we could do it right here in town. We got the equipment, (and) we got the resources.”
The SCYFL will play in the Central Carolina Youth Athletic League with teams from all over the Piedmont, including Burlington, Reidsville and Greensboro. Home games will be played at Jordan-Matthews High School, and practices will be held at Bray Park starting Aug. 5.
Other members of the SCYFL board include vice president Aron Brewington, treasurer Cedric Lee, Rodney Wiley, Sam Glover and Stevie Lee.
Jordan-Matthews’ varsity football head coach Kermit Carter will also be involved with the league to help “in any way (he) can” and prepare the future Jets for the high school level.
“We will definitely be visible at practices and games to get to know the kids earlier,” Carter said. “With the older kids, we will probably be sharing some stuff with them to see if they can install (it) and help the transition from middle school to high school to understand the terminology and stuff we’re doing.”
Carter also believes a youth league like this will be crucial to the high school’s football success down the road as he hopes it will strengthen the numbers.
“You look at any good high school team, you can look at their rec department,” Carter said. “Their rec programs are super strong.”
This isn’t the first time members of the community have come together to give kids, especially at the middle school age, an opportunity to play football in their hometown.
From 2022-23, the Siler City Jets 14U football team played in the East Wake Football League as a branch of East Chatham Chargers. Former Jordan-Matthews football head coach Ryan Johnson led that effort as kids who aged out of the Siler City Jets program (provided by Siler City Parks and Recreation) by the age of 13 had to travel elsewhere to play.
For more information on the SCYFL, visit www.silercityareayouthsports.org or contact Dones at 919-200-9662.
