In 2003, the community room at the Central Lincoln County (CLC) YMCA was filled with townspeople who came together to gauge interest and discuss potentially starting a youth football league. At that meeting, the Lincoln County Youth Football (LCYF) program was formed. Recently, almost 14 years to the day, many of those individuals again met in the Y’s community room to discuss the possibility of the Y overseeing the league.

The Y and the LCYF Board of Directors have agreed to the Y overseeing the management of the program. Current LCYF board members are Jane Gravel, Gary Gravel, Kira Gallant, Cheryl Tomasello and Allen Tomasello.

The CLC YMCA is excited about this opportunity in the hopes of cultivating the program and providing youth in grades 1-8 the opportunity to learn and grow in the sport.

“The YMCA has a long history of supporting youth development,” said Senior Program Director Joe Clark. “Integrating and promoting youth football alongside other well-known and attended Y youth sport programs such as soccer, basketball, lacrosse and tennis will ultimately expand the Y’s outreach in a more substantial way.”

A task force of LCYF Board members and Y staff has already been formed. Discussions have begun around transition, logistics, scholarship assistance — collaborating on how to most effectively grow and create a solid foundation for the program under the Y’s domain.

The first football program in 2017 being administered by the Y will be football camp, run by volunteer coach Allen Tomasello. The goal is to help players prepare for the upcoming season with light conditioning and a focus on safety and fundamentals. Camp will run from July 31 to Aug. 4. Online registration begins March 6 for members and March 13 for the general public. Visit the Y’s website at clcymca.org and click on the 2017 Camp Guide link for more information. Registration for the football season will take place through the Y during the same time frame as in past years.

For more information on the upcoming program and other Y events, visit clcymca.org or call 563-9622.