The Eastman Raiders Football Club is actively recruiting players aged 14 and 15 to join their Bantam team.
Coach Skyler Besser says the team needs a minimum of four more players to declare for the season, but ideally, they would like to see 10 new faces join the roster.
He notes that recruiting for the Bantam level has proven to be more challenging than for other age groups.
“Obviously we have some competition with SRSS. But for me, all we need is four, and I think we're going to hit it. And if we can just kind of keep it rolling, we've got a lot of kids coming up from Atom and Peewee and they will hopefully continue on the Bantam tradition that we have started here.”
Besser explains that the Raiders’ long-term vision is to instill a love for the sport early on, so players are encouraged to stick with football as they grow.
“It starts from the bottom up. We have a lot of kids that are coming up that have a lot of passion for the Raiders, and if we can just continue to build on that, then I don't see us struggling in the future for a Bantam squad.”
Besser reminds families that this is a developmental league and experience is not necessary.
“Anybody that wants to play football can come and play football and as a coach, my job is to develop you. And if I'm not doing that, I'm not doing my job. We've got new kids starting and playing this year that have no football experience.”
He says they have kids coming in at all levels that excel.
“As long as they're developed properly, and as a coach, that's something that you have to take pride in is teaching the skills to play the game, not just expecting them to know, so that that is the most fun for me anyways, is bringing them in and watching them grow, whether it be from the Cruncher level or just even growing at the Atom level moving forward.”
For parents unsure about signing their children up, Besser highlights the unique benefits of football as a sport and a life-learning experience.
“Football is the ultimate team sport. We preach teamwork because it's very important. Discipline is huge and I don't mean discipline is a bad thing. I mean discipline to play the game. Health wise, the conditioning that we do prepares you in life for really hard things. Life can be tough sometimes and we prepare them by conditioning and by training them and just becoming overall better kids.”
He has seen those benefits firsthand in his own home with his daughter.
“She came in, she started playing football, and we saw an instant rise in her grade level. So, it just kind of shows you that there is a correlation there between playing a team sport, making friends, and then just generally doing better.”
Besser acknowledges some parents might worry about injuries, but says safety is always top priority.
“We're certified coaches, and we develop drills and different things that we can do to teach the kids tackling and how to do it properly. Whether it be receiving a tackle or giving a tackle. So, we emphasize safety. Safety is number 1. Nobody likes to see injuries. We keep it down to a bare minimum. Nothing serious happens under my watch anyways because it's all how you teach them.”
To help lower the cost, the Eastman Raiders provide helmets and shoulder pads for players. Families only need to supply cleats and, if possible, a higher-quality mouth guard.
Those interested in joining can reach out to the Eastman Raiders through their website or social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram.
“We are more than willing to go out of the way to give you any information, in any way possible. We want everybody to be out playing Eastman Raider football and as a group, that's what we strive for and that's what we're going to make happen.”
June 15 is the deadline for the Raiders to declare a Bantam team.
With files from Carly Koop