» Youth football sign-ups this weekend

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 | No comments posted. Bandon Youth Football sign-ups are planned from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, at the Harbor Lights Middle School gym.

Boys and girls entering the fourth, fifth or sixth grades this fall are welcome to participate. The fee for the program is $35 per player, and each individual must show proof of insurance.

Any players unable to register this weekend can sign up at the first practice on July 21 or by telephoning head coach Haven Andrist at 297-4953.

Practices will be held on the lawn between the high school and middle school from 6 to 7:30 p.m. July 21-25 and July 28-31. Games will be played on Tiger Field at 6 p.m. on Fridays, Aug. 1, 8, 15 and 22.

The high school coaching staff, along with several current and former Tiger players, are expected to help with the youth program this year.

Participants will learn teamwork and the basic fundamentals of football and, hopefully, begin to develop a love of the game, Andrist said. “We’ll be running plays from the high school playbook, so the kids will get an introduction to the style of play that they’ll encounter as they continue through the local football program. We want it to be a fun introduction to football so they’ll get interested in playing for the school teams. We like to get them learning the game at a young age and, hopefully, they’ll decide they like it and stick with it.”

Numerous players in the high school and middle school football programs previously participated in Bandon Youth Football.