Excited to Get Back on the Field — Fall Football Starts Tomorrow
There’s something special about the first day of a new session.
Tomorrow we kick off our fall football classes at Ave Maria North Park, and I’m genuinely looking forward to it. We’ve got two small groups ready to go — Little Saints (ages 5–9) and Youth Saints (ages 10–14) — both capped at twelve athletes. That means every kid gets real coaching, real reps, and real attention. No big crowds. No standing around waiting for a turn. Just focused work and a lot of fun.
These are six-week sessions. Monday and Wednesday mornings. Sixty minutes. Non-contact. Beginner-friendly. Perfect for kids who are brand new to the game or who just want a solid place to get better without the pressure of travel teams or tryouts.
And one more thing for tomorrow: bring your best football joke (or any good sports joke). We’ll see who can make the group laugh.
Why Small Groups Matter
Twelve is the magic number for a reason. When the group stays small, I can actually see every throw, every catch, and every footwork mistake. I can slow things down and fix them. Kids get more touches on the ball. They get more coaching. And they get the chance to build real confidence because someone is paying attention to them.
Parents tell me all the time that their child has never really liked sports before, or that they were nervous around a football. Then after a couple of sessions the fear is gone and they’re asking to play catch in the backyard. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when the environment is patient, the groups are small, and the focus is on getting better instead of winning.
Skills on the Field, Habits for Life
We’re going to work on the fundamentals: throwing mechanics, catching, footwork, route running, body control, and how to move with purpose. Those are the building blocks every young player needs.
But the bigger goal is what those skills teach off the field.
Learning to throw a spiral the right way takes repetition and patience. So does learning to encourage a teammate when they drop a ball. Learning to stay focused for a full hour builds the same kind of discipline kids need for schoolwork or chores. Learning to try again after a bad rep builds resilience they’ll use when something hard comes up in everyday life.
Sport is a great teacher when we slow down and let it do its job.
What the Next Six Weeks Look Like
We’ll meet twice a week. Sessions are structured but never rigid. We pray, we warm up, we drill, we play, and we finish with a short prayer. Kids leave tired in the best way — usually smiling and already talking about what they want to work on next time.
If your child is in one of the groups, I’m excited to see them tomorrow. Come ready to learn, to work, to have fun, and to share that joke. If you’re still deciding or want to know about future sessions, just reach out. We keep the groups intentionally small so everyone gets coached well, and spots fill up.
That’s the plan.
Faith • Character • Sport
By Coach Andrew Malby | IronRoot Athletics
Questions? Contact us at admin@ironrootathletic.com or (239) 341-4766.