LIHU‘E — “My son is one of the players, and he was bummed when he found out he couldn’t play,” said Conrad Payomo, Tuesday. Payomo was watching the second day of practice for the American Youth Football program at Isenberg
LIHU‘E — “My son is one of the players, and he was bummed when he found out he couldn’t play,” said Conrad Payomo, Tuesday.
Payomo was watching the second day of practice for the American Youth Football program at Isenberg Field headed by coach Brad Hiranaka.
“When a kid can’t play football for a year, it really hurts them,” Payomo said. “This program will help the seventh and eighth graders the most.”
Hiranaka said late last year, the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Association voted to only offer the Junior Pee Wee and Junior Midget programs for the 2009 season.
This left a lot of players out in the cold, their age keeping them out of play while they were still too young to try out for the high school football programs.
“American Youth Football is a really good program, and we’re going to try and make it island-wide,” Hiranaka, a coach of 14 years, said. “We’re talking with coaches from all over, and Payomo will be starting his Eastside program starting next week.”
Currently, Hiranaka said there are about 15 players in the Lihu‘e program and Payomo said there are 14 players signed up for the Eastside program.
Registration for players 11 to 15 years old is still being accepted because practice just started Monday for the Lihu‘e program, and will start Monday for the Eastside program.
“AYF takes players through the ninth grade,” Hiranaka said. “But for this year only, we’re taking sophomores in high school. One of the AYF aspects is that if you are a freshman in high school, you have to have tried out for the high school program before you come to AYF.”
AYF requires three basic principles of all its members — safety, sportsmanship and full participation, states its Web site.
The program believes in building communities of strong leaders by encouraging and rewarding strong academic achievement, teaching the lessons of dedication, honest effort and fair play, resulting in athletes emerging to become leaders.
AYF, its volunteers and sponsors, share the dream that every child who wants to play football or cheer has the opportunity despite financial constraints, prompting the start of the “Circle of Giving Back” concept.
Each child enrolled in the AYF program is encouraged to remember and thank their parents and the many volunteers who give of themselves to their communities in order to model and promote community involvement to tomorrow’s leaders, the AYF Web site states.
Hiranaka said under the current registration, there will be three teams playing football with the first game scheduled for mid-September.
“I spoke with Lenny Rapozo, and based on that conversation, our games will follow the last Pop Warner game on either Saturday, or Sunday,” Hiranaka said.
Hiranaka said he is grateful that the Lihu‘e Pop Warner Association is working with the AYF program and lending players the use of uniforms and equipment in order to get the program off the ground.
Payomo said uniforms and equipment for the Eastside team will be loaned from the Northshore Na Ali‘i program that hasn’t seen the football field for the past two years.
“We’re here for the kids who want to play football,” Hiranaka said. “If they’re not playing football, what would they be doing? We don’t want them getting into trouble.”
That sentiment was echoed by staff of volunteer coaches that worked with Hiranaka and Payomo during the second day of practice.
“I really want this league to succeed,” one coach said. “It’s for the good of the kids.”
American Youth Football and Cheer is a national partner of the National Football League and is the world’s largest youth football and cheer organization.
For more information, or to register, call Hiranaka at 652-9962, Payomo at 651-7255, or Tina Albao at 652-9962.
