Staff Writer
Bridgeport Raiders vs Danbury Vikings at Danbury's home field.
Photo by Veronica Pagan.
Any time you turn on the news there is talk of child obesity and other health risks to young people. Yet within the community there are sports offered to youth that can help keep them physically fit and academically motivated.
Pop Warner Football League was established in Bridgeport in 1987. The Pop Warner website states their goal is to inspire youth in the ideals of sportsmanship, scholarship and physical fitness.
Bridgeport Pop Warner is a branch from Pop Warner Little Scholars, which is a non-profit organization in its 77th year. According to the Pop Warner site, their staff consists of volunteers and coaches who are trained to offer the best and safest programs for youth.
In southern Connecticut, there are 20 different teams offering football for children between the ages of 5 and 14.
Their practices start in August, before school starts. They usually are Mondays and Fridays during the summer. When classes start the practices are three times a week for one hour for the 5-9 year olds and two hours for the 10-14 year olds. The practices are held at Newfield Park.
My 6-year-old son, Eugene Barros Pagan, is a former player for the 2009 Season of the Bridgeport Raiders and a current player of T-ball for the Indians. He enjoys playing sports.
“I love football and baseball, I love running and scoring points, and I like making new friends,” he says.
For those who feel that football is a rough sport for children, there is always baseball. The season just started for the North End Little League (NELL), which was founded by Nell Carter in 1954.
Indians vs Marlins. A T-ball game at the NELL field.
Photo by Veronica Pagan.
Their practices are held half an hour before the games. The games are on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The games are held at the NELL field.
2010 League Information Officer Steve Bailer says, “This program teaches our youth respect and loyalty and good family values. This can also rub off on the families who may not have had such an experience as a youth.”
“The volunteers, parents, and youth who participate in the program are willing to put their time in. Others are reluctant at first, but once the season starts they don’t regret participating,” says Bailer.
For more information about NELL baseball, visit http://www.eteamz.com/NorthendLL/
nellbridgeport@yahoo.com. To learn more about Pop Warner in Bridgeport, contact Alvin O’Neal at o_neal_alvin@sbcglobal.net, or 203-400-3164.
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