South Youth Football League aims to build future Spartans
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A new youth football program is taking the field in Warren County with a goal that stretches far beyond the scoreboard.
The South Youth Football League is launching this fall, giving students in third through sixth grade an opportunity to develop football fundamentals while preparing for the next level in the South Warren football program.
Justin Gearlds, a South Warren Football Board member and fourth-grade assistant coach, said the league has been discussed for several years before organizers decided the time was right.
“Our goal is to build a feeder system for South Warren High School,” Gearlds said. “If we’re going to compete at the 6A level, we’ve got to have numbers, and we’ve got to have kids that know the Spartan way.”
The league is designed to introduce young athletes to the techniques, terminology and expectations they’ll encounter as they move into middle school and eventually South Warren High School.
Rather than spending valuable practice time teaching basic concepts later on, coaches hope players will already understand proper tackling, stances, route concepts and other football fundamentals before reaching the middle school level.
Gearlds said the league also focuses on creating a strong culture for the program by helping players develop a love for the game at an early age.
Beyond football, organizers say the lessons extend into everyday life by teaching teamwork, discipline, leadership and perseverance.
The league is primarily intended to serve students from Rockfield Elementary, Jody Richards Elementary, Plano Elementary and Rich Pond Elementary, which feed into South Warren Middle and South Warren High School. However, registration is open to any child interested in participating.
Teams will compete against programs from surrounding counties, including Logan, Hopkins, Christian and Todd counties, with players grouped by grade level to provide age-appropriate competition.
Registration will remain open through the beginning of the school year, with practices beginning the first week of August. Games are expected to begin during the final week of August.
Parents can find registration information and league updates by visiting the South Youth Football League Facebook page. Registration is available through the league’s TeamLinkt app, with additional details posted on the Facebook page as they become available.
