Molokai Youth Football Returns

Ready, set…hike! Molokai youth football players are back in the game. Registration for the upcoming season begins on Thursday June 28, 2007.

After last season’s disappointment of not being included into Maui’s Pop Warner football league, players and coaches are looking forward to a new era in the future of football on Molokai.

“We’re trying to pick it up and move forward,” said Carl Brito, the local organizer of the Molokai program.

The fall 2007 season will kick off during the first week in September, with games ending in mid December. As part of the Oahu Youth Sports League (OYSL), Molokai players will be traveling to Oahu three times for games, while Oahu will also visit Molokai a minimum of three times.

 “We’re looking at an average of three games a month,” said Brito.

The youth will also have the opportunity to fulfill a dream for every young Hawaiian football player – the chance to play in Aloha Stadium on Oahu. Home of the Aloha Bowl and the Pro Bowl, the Aloha Stadium is the largest outdoor stadium in the entire state of Hawaii.  

After leaving the Maui Youth Football & Cheer Conference last year, Molokai started seeking an alternate league to join. According to Brito, Molokai was approached by OYSL, an independent league consisting of 12 associations. There are between two and four teams within each association. The OYSL was once a part of the Pop Warner program, but is no longer affiliated with them.

To join the youth football program, players must be between the age of 9 and 13. Each player must provide their birth certificate and a photo ID. There is a $10 fee for registration. The program is also recruiting cheerleaders in the same age bracket. For more information and to register please come to the Mitchell Paole Center on June 28 from 2-5 p.m. or call Carl Brito at 567-6131 or Libby Bicoy at 567-6641. The deadline for registration is July 13, 2007.