January 28, 2019 · 0 Comments
By Brian Lockhart
There may still be snow on the ground but the Orangeville Outlaws Football Club doesn’t let that stop them from getting players in shape for the 2019 summer football season.
With football, staying in shape and learning the nuances of the sport is big part of putting together a successful team.
The Outlaws held a registration and information session at both Tony Rose arena and the Alder Street arena on Sunday, January 13, to welcome back returning players as well as encourage players who are interested in the sport to learn more.
The club’s winter camp with Super Elite Football will get underway beginning on January 19, in the dome at Acts Athletic Institute.
Summer pre-season training will commence on Saturday, February 23, in the dome and continue every Saturday until the weather allows players to move outside around the end of April.
“Today we are having registration for both our winter camp and the summer league,” explained Outlaws secretary / registrar Sue Ellies. “Our pre-season starts on February 23. We start at ACTS, then got to the Agricultural Centre when the weather is half-decent then we move to Westside Secondary School for May 21.”
The summer football season usually gets underway during the May long weekend.
“We’re hoping for more players than last year,” Sue said. “It’s tough to say because how many we’ll get because a lot of people don’t register until the first day of registration. They can go on-line and sign up ahead of time.”
The League has teams ranging in age from the Tyke level right up to Varsity.
Peewee coach, Brian Ainsco, said he is hoping to sign up a full roster for his team this year.
“We’re hoping to have 30 players on the team this year, that would be
great. We’ve got about seven to ten repeat players that will be coming
back (on his team). Last year during the fall season we had numerous new
players and you could see their progression from the start of the season all the way through to the end. They learn, they develop, they understand their positions and what their role is in each position. We had a very successful campaign. They had a real taste of winning.”
As a contact sport, many parents are worried about injuries on the field, but statistically you are more likely to be injured playing baseball or softball than you are on the football field.
Coaches teach players how to tackle and avoid being hurt during game.
“As far as football goes we teach safe tackling,” Brian explained. “We don’t tolerate leading with the head or anything like that. We have to be certified to coach. We teach the right way. Our coaching staff go to clinics to make sure we’re up to date on all proper tackling techniques – it’s called ‘heads up, eyes across.’ We’ve adopted a rugby style tackle.”
Coaches teach players how to make a tackle and reduce the risk of injury.
Outlaws players that sign up for winters skills will have several weeks of learning the game and either learning skills and positions or improving the skills returning players have learned in previous seasons.
You can learn more about the Outlaws by visiting their website at www.orangevilleoutlaws.com.