06/17/2026
Hello everyone, apologies but this is a long but very important read.
As Director of Stark County JFL, I want to be honest with our families and community about where our participation numbers currently stand.
Last year, we had 93 total participants, which was our lowest number in decades. Right now, we are at 59. We had 13 athletes from last year who are aging out of our offerings but 19 first time participants have signed up. We started registration earlier, advertised more, and opened our program to a larger area than ever before, but our numbers are still not responding the way we need them to.
Each tackle team must have a MINIMUM of 15 players to participate. With the current enrollment numbers at Stark County and Bradford Elementary, the two schools in our area footprint, reaching that number is a real challenge.
For example, our 10U team needs 15 players. That grade level is projected to have only 18 boys at Stark County Elementary next school year. Even when adding Bradford Elementary, the total number is roughly 26 boys. To reach 15 players, we would need participation from over 58% of that group.
That is a big ask. The average football participation rate is much lower, in small-school communities it is usually closer to 38%. At that rate, we would be around 9 players — 6 short of the required minimum.
This is why we are widening our net and welcoming players from surrounding communities like Princeville, Kewanee, Galva, and others. We are not trying to take kids away from anyone. We are simply trying to give kids an opportunity to play and keep our teams on the field.
Girls are welcome to play tackle football as well. Any child who is interested in learning the game, being part of a team, and representing Stark County JFL has a place in this program.
If we cannot fill rosters, we will be forced to make difficult decisions. That could mean moving younger players up to higher age levels before they are ready, or in some cases, not being able to field a team at all. None of us want that. Our goal is to give every child the best, safest, and most appropriate opportunity to play.
Our current urgent needs:
8U Tackle — 10 more players
9U Tackle — 3 more players
10U Tackle — 13 more players
Flag (5-7 year old) Currently has enough for 1 team (16, minimum is 12) and would need at least 8 more players to split into two teams.
Cheer numbers are strong and we don't have a minimum or maximum number for that group.
Please help us spread the word. If you know a family with a child interested in football, send them our way.
Thank you for your support.
Register here: http://tinyurl.com/SCJFL2026
