Ave Maria, Your Kids Need This — Introducing IronRoot Athletics

By Coach Andrew Malby | IronRoot Athletics

If you've been part of the Ave Maria community for any amount of time, you already know what makes this place special. It's the kind of town where neighbors know each other's names, where faith shapes daily life, and where families are genuinely invested in raising good kids.

But if you're a parent of a young athlete, you've probably felt the gap.

There's no shortage of competitive rec leagues and travel teams out there. What's been harder to find is a program focused on the fundamentals — a place where a 7-year-old can learn how to properly throw a football without the pressure of winning, where a 12-year-old can build real athletic confidence in a safe environment, and where faith and character are just as important as catching a spiral.

That's exactly why I started IronRoot Athletics.

Rooted in Something Bigger

My name is Andrew Malby. I'm a homeschool dad of four right here in Ave Maria, and I've spent years watching kids — including my own — grow through sport. What I kept coming back to was this: the skills that matter most aren't always the ones on the scoreboard.

Discipline. Resilience. Coachability. The ability to shake someone's hand after a hard-fought game and mean it. Those are the things that follow a child into adulthood.

IronRoot Athletics was built to develop all of it — the physical and the personal. The name says it all. When roots go deep, the tree stands through anything.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." — Proverbs 27:17

That verse lives at the heart of everything we do here. Kids push each other to be better. Coaches push kids to dig deeper. And the whole community is better for it.

What We Actually Do

We teach youth football fundamentals. That means throwing mechanics, catching technique, footwork, agility, coordination, conditioning, and teamwork — the building blocks every young player needs, regardless of whether they ever play on a team.

Right now, we're running two classes at Ave Maria North Park:

Little Saints (Ages 5–9) — Mondays & Wednesdays at 10:00 AM
Older Group (Ages 10–14) — Mondays & Wednesdays at 8:30 AM

Sessions are 60 minutes. Classes are intentionally small — 12 spots each — so every child gets real attention, not just a jersey and a position.

Who This Is For

IronRoot Athletics was built with Ave Maria's homeschool and Catholic families in mind. If you're looking for a program that takes safety seriously, honors your family's values, and develops your child as a whole person — not just an athlete — this is your place.

We're not here to create future NFL stars (though we'd be thrilled if that happened). We're here to give kids a strong, confident foundation — in sport, in character, and in community.

Come Join Us

Current classes are running now, and we're already planning a Fall 2026 expansion with additional class options coming in September. Fall registration isn't open yet — but you can get your name on the waitlist today so you're first to know when it does.

Head over to ironrootathletic.com, drop your name and email, and hit submit. That's it. We'll reach out as soon as fall details are ready.

We'd love to have your family as part of the IronRoot community.

Faith • Character • Sport

Questions? Contact us at admin@ironrootathletic.com or (239) 341-4766.