BY CONNOR SALTER
FOR THE OBSERVER
BEAUREGARD — The Beauregard Youth Football Association (BYFA) is starting a league for girls sponsored by the NFL.
As girls flag football spread in popularity across the U.S., the organization began hosting football camps for local girls. Interest was strong enough that this fall, BYFA will field girls flag football teams alongside traditional tackle teams for boys.
“We have a group of girls that always come out, and they are dedicated,” said BYFA Director Joshua Stroud. “Those girls, they want to get out there and do it. These girls want more than to dress up, be pretty, cheer and play softball.”
“This year will be a very very big step for us,” said Laderious Head, coach of the boys 10 and under team who will be assisting the girls team. “We understand that girls are limited in things that they’re able to do, but some girls just would rather be out there playing football. That’s all my baby talks about is flag football, more than other kids talk about regular football.
“We had a camp about two weeks ago and you could just see the expression on the girls faces, they were so ready,” said Head. “That’s their getaway time, their time to be themselves, and nobody has to pressure them to do anything.”
J.T. Barker is the offensive coordinator of the 12 and under program and is entering his second year of coaching Beauregard Youth Football.
“My goal is to develop the young athletes and to teach them that life is gonna come with ups and downs, much like this game,” Barker said.
According to Barker, community response to the Beauregard Youth Football program has been remarkable.
“For this to be their inaugural season, and to have that kind of support out the gate, that just sets your ceiling up so high,” he said. “It’s good for the girls — I think it’s great. I truly believe the sky is the limit for them.”
“The community just wanted somebody that actually cared,” said Stroud. “[We] went from barely being able to fill teams to two or three years later having the community fully support [us], and now we’re starting a girls league.”
“We love the support that the parents give — we couldn’t ask for better support,” said Head. “The parents are always willing to help. People outside of the community are always willing to help and sponsor. When it comes down to [kids], they are all involved. They’re hands on.”
“Since coming back and getting involved with Beauregard athletics again, we’ve been welcomed with open arms by the community,” said Barker. “The community was ready for improvement in the youth program.”
Stroud, Head and Barker all said they want to teach youth football athletes how to be better members of the community around them.
“For me, it’s about building confidence and a lot about learning to trust yourself,” said Stroud. “You’re going to make mistakes in practice, you’re gonna make mistakes in life, you just have to learn to move on from it.”
“I look to just inspire them to just be great, to be better than the next person,” said Head. “My number one motto is, ‘if you can’t pass in the class, you can’t come out here and play in the grass.’”
With sponsorship from the NFL, the BYFA girls flag football program could compete in larger markets if they play well enough.
“If you want to include regionals, the regular season ends around the last week in October, with regionals in December or early January,” said Stroud. “The opportunities are endless. You have girls that are 15 years old, they’re exposed to this and can get a scholarship offer just like that, just from grinding it out for those two or three years.”
BYFA has big goals for the future.
“I want to continue to see growth such as attracting kids from surrounding areas like Auburn and Opelika,” said Barker. “For us to instill in them the skills and tools that will benefit them outside of sports, that’s the biggest thing for me.”
“Our goal is to make it bigger and better every year,” added Head. “We’re trying to make it so much better than what it was last year, every year.”
“We want to get it to a point where we can stay home and host tournaments like Atlanta and Tennessee,” said Stroud. “We want teams to come from all over and to be able to host tournaments. I just want it to get bigger.”
“We just want the community to continue to support us in whatever way they can,” said Barker. “I would be remiss in not thanking [Beauregard High School head football coach Justin Jones] for facilitating us coming back to Beauregard and him having the heart for not just the high school or middle school teams, but all the way down to peewee teams. I think when you have a visionary head coach like that, it helps sparkplug the community in the right direction.”
BYFA will offer a flag football clinic July 20 for girls ages 6-17, with registration opening on May 1.
For more information, visit www.beauregardfootball.com.
