LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Cowboys will be back on the gridiron today and coach Al Ah Loo is anxious to see what the team is able to showcase. In what Ah Loo termed an “evaluation game,” the Cowboys will be
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Cowboys will be back on the gridiron today and coach Al Ah Loo is anxious to see what the team is able to showcase.
In what Ah Loo termed an “evaluation game,” the Cowboys will be on the field with some players from O‘ahu after spending the past nine months practicing.
Created in 1993 by Wilfred Kaui, the Kaua‘i Cowboys were a semi-professional football team that was in existence until 2004. Now, after a hiatus that spanned the latter portion of the past decade, the team is back and ready to compete.
Though it currently has no league to play in, the team has a pair of games lined up in the next month. The Texas Beast are scheduled to host the Cowboys in Houston, Texas on Feb. 12.
That will be followed up by a home game at Vidinha Stadium against the Beast on Feb. 26.
“Let’s stop there, let’s test the waters,” Ah Loo said about scheduling the home-and-home series.
In the past, the Cowboys had a difficult time getting teams to come to Kaua‘i, so they would play games on O‘ahu as part of a doubleheader. Ah Loo said that now teams are much more eager and interested to come to the Garden Isle.
The team has about 30 members and is comprised of some families that were involved with the Cowboys during its previous existence. Coach Al’s son Wayne will follow in his father’s footsteps as a player, as will three sons of original team member Ben Kuhaulua.
“Kids that were our waterboys are now going to be players,” Ah Loo said.
He added that he and the team have visions of being very active with the young football players on Kaua‘i. They would like to provide speed and agility clinics once a month and already have the first one scheduled for Feb. 27, the day after the game at Vidinha Stadium.
Ah Loo feels that his players can provide guidance and inspiration to Kaua‘i’s youth.
“I think we should empower them to be role models,” he said. “We are trying to bring our young men to the forefront so we can do that.”
While many plans have been made, the coach said that the team is still struggling financially and could use some help from the county in order to fund some of the expenses. The Texas squad has offered the Cowboys half their gate for the game in Houston to help pay for the trip.
Today, the team will playing in jerseys donated to the club by Kaua‘i Youth Football league president Brad Hiranaka.
Kick-off is set for 5 p.m. at the New Kapa‘a Town Park football field.
