HIgh School Football Growing in Popularity

By Jim Jeannotte on Thursday, September 4, 2008.

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High school football practice has started. Teams are preparing for that opening kickoff. And this fall in New Hampshire, more schools than ever before will be fielding varsity football teams.

NHPR sports correspondent Jim Jeannotte reports.

SOUNDS LIKE THESE ARE COMING FROM PRACTICE FIELDS ACROSS NEW HAMPSHIRE AS THE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SEASON NEARS.

THIS YEAR, FOUR HIGH SCHOOLS WILL BE PLAYING THEIR FIRST VARSITY GAMES.

THAT BRINGS TO 55 THE NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE STATE OFFERING THE SPORT TO ITS STUDENTS.

THAT FIGURE IS UP MORE THAN 50% SINCE 1995.

PAT CORBIN CALLS THE GROWTH AMAZING.

HE’S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION.

Track 08) (2:51-3:14) “….We’ve added 18 schools at a time when soccer has been growing, again competing for those fall athletes. We now have boys’ volleyball emerging as a fall sport. So there are more sports and yet football continues to enjoy unprecedented growth.”

CORBIN SAYS A LOT OF FACTORS COULD HAVE CAUSED THE INCREASE.

THE STATE’S POPULATION HAS GROWN, AND TOWNS HAVE BUILT NEW HIGH SCHOOLS.

BUT CORBIN ADDS, THE NUMBER OF YOUTH PROGRAMS HAS ALSO INCREASED AND THAT MAY BE DRIVING THE POPULARITY OF HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

(track 08) (1:55-2:11) “Often times these new programs evolve out of youth leagues and parent groups who have serviced or coached and supported youth leagues. And then the students get to be high school aged and they demand that there is some place to go and they want the program in their own town.”

ALVIRNE HIGH, BOW, KEARSAGE REGIONAL AND PEMBROKE ACADEMY ADDED FOOTBALL BETWEEN 1995 AND 2000.

BUT THE REAL EXPLOSION CAME IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS.

GOFFSTOWN AND MERRIMACK VALLEY STARTED PLAYING IN 2002 AND SIX MORE SCHOOLS BEGAN IN 2004.

THIS FALL WILL SEE FIRST-YEAR PROGRAMS AT MASCOMA VALLEY REGIONAL, INTERLAKES HIGH, BEDFORD HIGH AND SANBORN REGIONAL.

THE LONG HELD PREDICTION THAT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAMS WOULD DRY UP DUE TO HIGH COSTS JUST HASN’T TURNED OUT TO BE TRUE.

ACCORDING TO CORBIN, IN THIS DAY OF COST CUTTING, HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS HAVE TURNED TO NEW METHODS OF UNDERWRITING.

Pat Corbin
(Track 08) (6:22-6:42) “It’s not uncommon in New Hampshire for, not just football, but for other programs to be supported by private groups or by parent groups to some degree, and in some cases a hundred percent. But it has to still go through the school principal and the athletic director, and it’s got to meet the guidelines we impose.”

MASCOMA REGIONAL IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.

THE TEAM IS GETTING MUCH OF ITS MONEY FROM A BOOSTER CLUB WHICH IS TURNING TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS FOR SUPPORT.

MASCOMA’S FUND-RAISING EFFORTS CAME TO THE ATTENTION OF JOE YUKICA.

HE’S A FORMER UNH AND DARTMOUTH HEAD COACH, AND FOUNDER OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION.

Joe Yukica
(track 10) (6:28-6:38) “The Boosters Club, after having a Jayvee program for a couple of years, went to the community for funding and asked for I think just about $11,000 and was denied.

(track 10) (6:48-6:55) “Those are what we are looking for. Places that really needed help, and they needed help. They were doing everything through the Boosters Club, pizza sales, car washes.”

AS A RESULT, THE FOOTBALL FOUNDATION PRESENTED THE MASCOMA BOOSTERS WITH A $1,000 CHECK.

AND THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, HELPED WITH EQUIPMENT GRANTS UP TO $2,000.

IN MASCOMA’S CASE, THE FUND-RAISING EFFORTS ALSO HELP PAY THE COACH’S SALARY.

THIS IS WHERE THINGS CAN BECOME A LITTLE TOUCHY.

WHEN DOES A FUND-RAISING PARENTS GROUP SEPARATE ITSELF FROM THE HANDS-ON OPERATION OF THE PROGRAM?

LONG-TIME CONCORD HIGH COACH BOB CAMIRAND SAYS BOOSTER ORGANIZATIONS NEED TO KNOW THEIR PLACE.

Bob Camirand
(Track 31) (2:47-3:01) “I think it’s important to know that their role is to raise money. And as far as the executive decisions go toward the hiring of coaches and various philosophies of the athletic program, basically lays with the administration and the coaching staff.”

COOPERATIVE SCHOOLS MAY BE THE REASON FOR THE GROWTH OF FOOTBALL PLAYING SCHOOLS IN THE FUTURE.

THE TOWNS OF EPPING AND NEWMARKET HAVE ALREADY JOINED TO FORM THE FIRST COOPERATIVE FOOTBALL TEAM.

AND, ACCORDING TO THE NHIAA’S PAT CORBIN, THAT MAY BE THE BEGINNING OF SCHOOLS JOINING TOGETHER AS ONE PROGRAM.

Pat Corbin
(Track 08) (9:42-10:00) “I know there’s interest by a group that approached me about a year ago called The North of the Notch Football Association or Organization. And they were trying to figure a way to pool schools north of the notch in some capacity so they could get more football up there in some of the smaller schools.”

IF YOU’RE IN A SMALL TOWN WITHOUT AN INTERSCHOLASTIC PROGRAM, DON’T DESPAIR.

IF THIS GROWTH CONTINUES, FOOTBALL COULD BE COMING TO A SCHOOL NEAR YOU.

FOR NHPR NEWS, I’M JIM JEANNOTTE