Predicting the Future for Youth Football Leagues

Injury Concerns Will Grow Youth Football Participation Levels

Yes, the spotlight on concussions and injuries associated with youth football will increase overall participation in youth football.  

Here’s why and how:

Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps

Let’s consider a kid named Hank.  He’s an elite young athlete and 9 years old.  He plays hockey, baseball and basketball and would love to play tackle football.   

Hank’s parents reject tackle as an option.  They are just not comfortable with it.

As an elite athlete and huge Chicago Bears fans, Hank still needs a football fix.  So, Hank joins a non-contact flag football league in his local neighborhood.

Remember, Hank is an elite athlete that was prohibited from playing tackle football.  When he joins this non-contact flag football league, he immediately gives the league some credibility.  It’s like Herschel Walker Herschel Walker going to the USFL or Bobby Hull going to the WHA.  With Hank on board, many of his hockey, baseball and basketball teammates will consider flag football as a cool option, also as their “second” fall sport.  

When Hank’s teammates join, there is suddenly a critical mass of good youth athletes playing in this league.  A suddenly, the coaching quality has improved as athletically competent dad’s support their sons.

Now, just because Hank’s parents rejected football, the flag league got a lot better.  The league demonstrates good football skills and fun. 

Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps

Here’s the kicker:   The huge number of undecided/recreational athletes begin to hear the buzz.  A non-contact flag football league is cool because Hank and his athletic friends play.  It’s not for cowards, these are good tough kids.  And unlike tackle football, flag football has no issues hanging out there like extreme travel, expense or injury issues.  It’s everything soccer is, but a sport America truly loves to play and watch.  

SUMMARY:   Truly dedicated football players aspire to play in high school and college, so they will always choose tackle to make that dream happen.   However, the concerns related to tackle football will increase the number of high quality athletes (and coaching dads) to the non-contact leagues.  This will draw more recreational or “followers” to non-contact leagues because there are not nearly the concerns or impediments associated with choosing tackle football.  

The net result is significant overall growth in football participation as tackle numbers are sustained and non-contact football leagues experience a tremendous increase.  

Of course, managing Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps, Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps, New York Giants Youth Football Camps and Green Bay Packers Youth Football Camps, we hope this is true.   Just watch.  We believe it will happen.

Sincerely,

Tom Finks

Pro Sports Experience, LLC

Official Management Company for Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps.



More quality young athletes choosing flag football will draw
more undecided players to non-contact programs.



Jobs in the NFL: What We Tell Youth Football Campers



New York Giants Youth Football Camps



To get a job in the NFL, you have to be smart, competitive, proactive, qualified, lucky, connected and tougher than a nine mile detour.   

And I am talking about getting jobs in an NFL office, not on the playing field.

At Pro Sports Experience Youth Football Camps, we talk to the kids about “jobs in the NFL” and frequently have team employees visit the camps. 

Youth football campers want to know what “jobs in the NFL” are like. 
Here’s a brief summary of what we tell them.  

Team President

Most Fun:  Providing coach, highly competitive individuals with tools to get job done. 

Most Challenging:  Education required (legal, business or financial), time and sacrifices to do job.

General Manager

Most Fun:  Dream maker for young, ambitious men; authority and final say for team structure.

Most Challenging:  Agents; the media; second guessers; indirect responsibility for player behavior.

Coach:

Most Fun:  Outdoors—every day;  Dress code;  Feeds competitive fire; Inspiring men to be better people through football.

Most Challenging:  Long hours; second guessed by public; cutting good people; failed execution.

Media Relations Director:

Most Fun:  Being in atmosphere loaded with compelling, positive human interest stories.

Most Challenging:  On call 24-7; Coercing young, stressed and moody players to speak to media.

Community Relations Director:

Most Fun:  With team resource, significantly helping less fortunate people or organizations.

Most Challenging:  Inability to satisfy all the requests; coercing moody millionaires help cause.

Corporate Sales Director

Most Fun:   Many cool, valuable and high visibility platforms that other companies want to purchase.

Most Challenging:  Pressure to deliver big dollars in order to help cover significant team expenses.

Game Operations Director

Most Fun:   Entertaining live audience; motivating fans and players; huge creative platform.

Most Challenging:  Entertaining fans when team is getting walloped.

Announcer:

Most Fun:  Great work hours and freedom; access to all team resource;

Most Challenging:  Facing players you criticized on the air;

Trainer

Most Fun:  Camaraderie with team; great reward assisting players to recovery and saving career.

Most Challenging:  Extreme hours and need be available and assist every injured player.

Scout

Most Fun:  Freedom for time and travel; Uncovering a hidden star; excitement of discovering star.

Most Challenging:  Risk of predicting the future of immature or poorly raised young man.

Chairman George McCaskey at
Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS:  We tell youth football campers that there are many industries that provide the same reward and satisfaction as working in the NFL.  Before anything, you must be qualified and therefore you must be educated.  When kids hit the books hard, options increase and so do the chances of a rewarding future.   

May everyone find fruitful, rewarding employment and the resources to care for yourself and family.

Tom Finks

Pro Sports Experience, LLC

Pro Sports Experience is the official management company for Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps.

http://www.prosportsexperience.com/

http://www.bearscamps.com/

http://www.packerscamps.com/

http://www.nygiantscamps.com/

http://www.eaglescamps.com/

Get Cut? Why You Should Never Give Up!

It's not what you achieve, it's what you overcome.

If your child got cut from his youth football team but still loves the game, please don't give up. I assure you, no coach or team manager can make perfect decisions on every player evaluation.

Case-in-point:  Let's look at the career of Jim Finks.  Finks was a highly regarded NFL GM that made it to the NFL Hall of Fame as an Excutive for the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints.  He was also starting Quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1950's.  He was a good (not great) quarterback but  among the best NFL executives in terms of player evaluation.

1. As a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Steelers kept Finks while cutting a fellow named Johnny Unitas.  Good thing for Baltimore that Johnny Unitas did not quit football after being cut.

2.  While directing the NFL draft, Finks drafted or signed such blue chippers as Jimbo Covert, Keith Van Horne, Jay Hilgenberg and the legendary Walter Payton.  In fact, he acquired 19 of the 22 starters for the 1985 Super Bowl Bears.  But he passed on a chance to draft Notre Dame's Joe Montana.  Instead he picked Georgia running back Willie McClendon.  Ouch.

3.  In basketball, Michael Jordoan was cut from his high school basketball team.

4.  In hockey, Hall of Famer Chris Chelios was cut from U.S. International University, the only NCAA Division I hockey team west of the Rockies.   He went onto an NHL Hall of Fame career.

Politics aside, evaluating players is complicated and one person's decision should never define your self-confidence or commitment to playing youth football. The fact is a youth football coach will never know if he was right or wrong until time passes.  And one person's opinion should never define your goals, even if they create a significant road block.

As we said, it's not what you achieve, it's what you overcome.

Good luck youth football parents.  To those kids who are currently discouraged--don't give up if you love the game!

Tom Finks
Executive Director
Pro Sports Experience, LLC

Pro Sports Experience is the official management company of Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps.

http://www.prosportsexperience.com/

“I Won’t Cheat!” --A Little League Life Skill Campaign that Scores.

Bears Youth Camp running back

Our youth football camp coaches constantly state, “Don’t cheat yourself!”  We say it before camp, during camp and at the final whistle.

What do they mean?

*Come mentally and physically prepared to get the most out of the camp day.

*Get enough sleep before the day.

*Eat a proper breakfast.

*Think about what you want to accomplish.
*Leave your problems behind and enjoy the moment.

*Run out every play and give a 100% effort.

*Do things the right way.

Talk about a simple sports lesson that translates to true life skills!  Consider NCAA football team violations, baseball players using steroids, golfer Tiger Woods, skater Tonya Harding and sprinter Ben Johnson.    Then consider any coworkers, friends and family members that cheat their way through life.   They take shortcuts, sandbag and use smoke and mirrors.  But everyone knows the difference.

It makes me think everyone should be required to play team sports while growing up.  It’s the best platform for learning how to compete with integrity.  Note:  I said “team sports” as I believe the environment is much more conducive to competitive integrity than most individual sports (golf excluded).  

While many more cheat without getting caught, I suspect that every perpetrator big and small has significant regrets and would do things much differently if given the chance.   We all make mistakes and fall to temptations of easy success and quick adoration.   Nobody is completely innocent. 

Pro Sports Experience tips its cap to Little League Baseball and their “I Won’t Cheat” jersey patch campaign.  It’s a sharp message that is a more valuable takeaway than football skills or baseball skills. 

More on the Subject

Little League’s Simple Pledge to a Better Future

15 Greatest Sports Cheats of All Time

Tom Finks

Pro Sports Experience, LLC

Pro Sports Experience is the official management company of Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles Youth Football Camps.  

Not “If” but “When” Your Moment Arrives!

During practice, we frequently preach “go hard…at full speed, just like a game!”

That reminder is easy to accept when you are a starter at your position.  You know you will see 20 to 30 minutes of game action.  You know you can be a difference maker.  There is an easy connection between practicing hard and your impact on the game results.

But what if you sit as a second, third or fourth stringer?  What then?  Even if you practice hard, the “plan” is for you to play very little or maybe not at all.

If you don’t plan on playing, you simply won’t practice effectively.  And if your moment comes, you won’t be ready.

The approach must not be “if” you get your chance.  It must be about “when” that chance arrives.  Consider these facts:

1) At the beginning of the 2010-11 season, Kevin Kolb was expected to be the Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback.   He was injured.  Michael Vick was not only “scheduled” to replace Kolb, he was prepared to replace him.  Vick took the opportunity and won the starting quarterback job.  Vick also has earned consideration of MVP honors.

2) Going into the NFC Championship Game vs. the Packers, Jay Cutler was scheduled to start as quarterback for the Chicago Bears.  In the second quarter, a knee injury sidelined Cutler.  Second string quarterback Todd Collins was also pulled from the game.  So third string quarterback Caleb Hanie entered and led the Bears to a comeback, nearly defeating the Green Bay Packers.  By being prepared, Hanie earned the enormous respect from teammates, coaches and fans.  More importantly, he earned himself future opportunity because he produced when in the spotlight and under pressure.

3) During the 2010-11 season, the Green Bay Packers team suffered 15 roster changes that gave second and third stringers a chance to play.  Despite the turnover in personnel, the Packers made the playoffs.  And on Sunday, February 6, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the Super Bowl.

Each of those 15 back-ups prepared….not “if” but “when” their moment would arrive.

That’s the key difference.  Great opportunities are seized when you believe the opportunity will arrive.  Athletes must have faith they will get a chance.  When they bring that faith to practice, they will practice more effectively and gain much more.

And when (not “if”) they take advantage of that opportunity, that is the greatest reward sports can offer - for both the athlete and the coach that supported that athlete.

Top 12 Signs Your School Principal May Be TOO PSYCHED for Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers Game

12. Dumped a bucket of Gatorade on 4th grade spelling bee champ.

11. Fifth graders will be dissecting footballs, not frogs.

10. Challenges troubled students by asking "What would Olin Kreutz do?"

9. Now wearing a mouthguard.

8. Throwing food now ok, as long as throws are "nice tight spirals."

7. Parents must define sick children as "Doubtful, Questionable or Probable."

6. Ask college advisors to include Chicago Bears Youth Football Camps and Green Bay Packers Youth Football Camps as options for "higher education."

5. Rather than Pledge of Allegiance, starts every day with a coin toss.

4. Teachers required to get ankles taped, every morning.

3. Students now enter school through new "playoff ticket detectors" security check.

2. New after school program to be called "Donald Driver's Education

1. "Your locker" is now pronounced "Ur lacher."

Pro Sports Experience is the official management company for Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers Youth Football Camps. 

Youth Sports Camp: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

It's official: the holidays are upon us.  Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed by, but some of us are still scrambling to find gifts for our loved ones.

Though the winter weather makes it hard to think about summer activities, consider giving the gift of youth sports summer camp to your child this holiday season.  Planning ahead will guarantee the child a spot at the desired camp, as spots are sure to sell out quickly closer to spring.  Plus, it ensures that kids will have something to do when school is out for summer, rather than just sit inside watching TV and playing video games.

Youth sports camps can get pricey, but buying months in advance often allows the opportunity to save money.  Also, knowing the incredible benefits of physical activity for children makes sports camp hard to resist.  Positive effects of youth sports are countless, including:

·         Developing an understanding of teamwork

·         Maintaining a healthy lifestyle through physical activity

·         Building friendships and other social skills

·         Forming a strong sense of confidence and leadership

·         Understanding the importance of putting forth best effort

As a gift, sports camp as a gift is an out-of-the-box idea that gives a child something to look forward to; it's almost like a second gift when summer rolls around and the child remembers he or she gets to go to camp soon!

Five Important Questions to Ask Before Sending Your Child to Camp

"I am worried about my child attending your day camp.  What precautions do you take to assure my child will be cared for and healthy?"

In the day camp (or sports camp) world, there is no more important question. 

To answer it, ask yourself the following five questions to determine if a camp is prepared to care for your child properly.

1.  Does the camp ask for sufficient contact and health information? 

The first step any good camp will take is creating a camper profile for your child by acquiring comprehensive health and contact information. 

Importantly, does the camp request:

• Multiple phone contact numbers?
• Your child’s age, weight and playing experience?
• Third party emergency contact information?  
• Doctor's name and phone number?
• Unique medical issues of your child? 
• Medicine he/she may need at camp? 
• Who is authorized to pick your child up from camp? 

With this information, the camper profile is created, providing an excellent starting point for safe camper management.  Remember to ask yourself: “Does the camp request enough information to keep my child safe?”

2.  Is the staff qualified?
Before developing athletic skill, camp staff must be able to manage the children.  They must be positive motivators. They must be strict disciplinarians without casting a negative cloud over the entire camp. The staff must manage bullies, shy kids, experienced athletes and newcomers to the game. Above all, they must have the background and experience to succeed.

Important considerations of a camp’s staff include:

• Must staff members pass a criminal background check to work at the camp?
• Do staff members have a "professional educators" background?
• What indicates they can manage large groups of children?
• Are they trained in first aid and CPR?
• Do they maintain a strong staff-to-campers ratio?
• Are health experts or certified athletic trainers on site?

3.  Are the camp’s location, facility amenities and equipment safe?
With respect to inclement weather and athletic activities, can the camp function safely?
Consider the following:

• Is there access to indoor classrooms or a gymnasium?
• Are there ample water or hydration sources?
• Is there a complete supply of first aid equipment on site?
• Are landline phones available?

4.  How does the camp manage its campers?
Ask the camp organization how they will manage your child.  This includes both on-the-field athletic issues and off-the-field activities.

• How are the campers grouped with respect to age and experience level?
• How are pick-up and drop-off exchanges handled?
• What are the lunch time management policies?
• What are practices with respect to sun screen and hydration?
• Is camper profile data (from section #1) accessible?
• Are drills designed with safety in mind?
• Do coaches emphasize respect and sportsmanship as the highest priority?
• Does the camp offer “Extended Supervision” services?

5.  Does the camp effectively communicate with me?
Finally, a quality camp management company proactively communicates to the customer.
Consider these elements of customer communication services.

• Do confirmation notices arrive with complete information?
• Do you receive reminders or updates with respect to the camp or your registration status?
• During the camp week, do you have an easy way to communicate issues or negative experiences?
• Does the camp offer an orientation meeting or introduction to parents?
• Can you communicate problems with camp operations confidentially?
• Do the coaches make themselves available for discussion before and after camp?

With these questions in mind, you can more easily determine if a camp is prepared to manage your child’s day camp experience. If you have additional questions, please email me at tom@prosportsexperience.com.

Regards,
Tom Finks, Executive Director, Pro Sports Experience

Pro Sports Experience is the official camp management company of the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles.