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RUMSON, N.J. — As the Head Coach for our 11U football team and the Vice President and Football Commissioner of  Rumson Fair Haven Youth Football, I see firsthand the unique opportunity that football provides.

Rumson Fair Haven Youth Football & Cheer is a franchise organization of the New Jersey American Youth Football (NJAYF) and a member of the Jersey Shore Conference.  NJAYF is a franchise organization of American Youth Football, Inc., an international youth football organization established to promote the wholesome development of youth through their association with the sport of American football.

As we approach the end of the regular season, it’s a perfect time to reflect back on our tremendous success across the board.  We have approximately 140 kids playing on our six football teams, and another 90 on our five cheer squads.  That represents over 200 families across Rumson and Fair Haven participating in our program, which we are extremely proud of.  Three of our football teams have qualified for the playoffs, which is quite an achievement when you consider only one team (11U) had any previous football experience.  This is a program on the rise and moving in the right direction.

One of the primary goals of RFH Youth Football & Cheer is to build a program that helps keep football a focal point of youth athletics in our communities and ensures that kids who want to play high school football have the proper instruction and training to compete at a high level once they get there.  Part of our efforts has included the formation of a collaborative relationship with the Rumson Fair Haven High School Athletics Department, particularly Athletics Director Chris Lanzalotto and Head Football Coach Jerry Schulte.  We play our home games on the turf field at the high school, and Coach Schulte and his staff hosted a Coaches Clinic for us earlier this year and have opened their practices to us as well.  In addition, the Recreation Departments of both towns have been very generous with practice fields and facilities, and I would like to thank Charlie Hoffman and DJ Breckenridge for their support.

I am passionate about football because the sport has given me so much throughout my formative years and into my adult life.  I started playing when I was in the 4th grade.  After winning a state sectional championship in high school, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play in college, where I was a three-year starter on the offensive line, an All-Conference selection my senior year, and voted a Team Captain by my teammates.

I believe that football teaches our children values and lessons they will rely on for the rest of their lives.  Kids learn how to set goals, the value of hard work, how to overcome adversity and the importance of teamwork. Our players have success if they work hard, commit to improving every time they step on the field and have fun.

There is always a concern about safety, understandably so.  Football is an intense, physical, contact sport.  There is no way to avoid that.  But we place a large emphasis on the safety and wellbeing of our players.  The rules, equipment, instruction, and awareness have never been better.  As part of the International American Youth Football organization, our coaches are all certified in modern coaching techniques, tackling, and concussion awareness.

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