Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
I started playing football in Saratoga back in seventh grade. I played until graduating from Saratoga High School. At that time it appeared that playing again would never happen. That changed when I moved abroad to live in Europe.
I still remember the first time putting on the equipment again . It was a surreal feeling. The most memorable part of the first time playing was simply checking to make sure my body was ok after making the first tackle. Leaving the field that day covered in mud and in the cold never felt so right. The only difference from that and high school was that I was speaking French to the guy next to me.
In France there are 4 divisions of play for adults. There is an elite level made up mostly of guys who are serious about training, who are usually former university players imported from the U.S., French players who went abroad to play in Canada, or top players from Europe that bigger teams can afford to pay to come and play for their team. The lowest level is referred to as division four or regional. This is made up of guys who play for fun, rarely lift weights, practice one day a week if at all, and stay hydrated from beer.
The teams practice two days a week simply because most guys don't have time for more due to work and to spend time at home with their family. Most guys would come once a week and there were some who would just come to the games. Practices were every Tuesday and Friday night from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with the stadium lights on. Locker rooms and a field to play/practice on with lights were provided by the local town government. Practices were from early September until the end of June with 3 pre-season games before Christmas and a 6-game schedule starting at the beginning of February that ended in May. After that teams would call each other for a pick up game or two before ending the season with a team dinner.
I played there for about 4 years. During that time we were able to develop a leisure team project where the guys got to play in equipment on a smaller sized field. We played with modified rules that allowed us to still block, tackle, play offense/defense, make plays in the huddle, keep score, and have first downs. We didn't use special teams to reduce the risk of injuries.
We played small-sided games where only a minimum of eight guys was needed to have a game. We mostly played 4v4 or 5v5 games. The idea to do this came from me watching a lot of 6-man games on the NFHS Network and a youtube channel called Six-Man Films.
Since it was leisure the concept was meant to allow guys who had little time for practice and who weren't running/lifting weights the chance to play. The mentality was relaxed and the goal was to play for fun rather than to hurt the guy across from you. We played hard and competed to win.
Playing football again has helped me lose body fat and gain muscle. My cardio is probably stronger than it was in high school. The opportunity to travel around a foreign country to play games was made possible by this sport. Most importantly it has given me something to look forward to and it has given me a purpose that I'm highly motivated to do.
The goal here in the Valley would be to create a leisure club for adults where if eight or more guys wanted to play, we would play pickup games in equipment. The games would be modified for a smaller sized field with modified rules of play. Players would need to purchase their own equipment to play and sign a waiver to participate. Practices wouldn't be mandatory to play. To see example videos of what the games would look like and the level of intensity, check out the youtube link provided here:
https://www.youtube.com/@tacklefootballssg
If interested in playing, don't hesitate to contact me for more information. It's a fun way to get some exercise and be a part of a team. It doesn't matter if you are big/small, fast/slow, young/old, in great shape or not, you would be welcomed to join and play for fun!
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