Pop Warner Football, Hackettstown
Does anyone know about the new football program, that was started for grade school kids.
Robert Hackettstown has TSA Football, heard it is a guy from washington trying to set up a team.
townieforever
Blake Hansson There were a group of parents who had kids playing in the Warren County Youth Football League (Mansfield, Oxford, Washington Boro, Franklin, Washington Twsp) that were unhappy with the coaching of their kids. They felt that their kids were not getting enough playing time and that they were not playing the position they should be. They started the Warren Hills Jr. Streaks. The Jr. Streaks is open to the Warren Hills sending district. This upcoming season will be the Jr. Streaks 3rd season. The new Pop Warner team that is being formed is a split from the Jr. Streaks. It seems there are parents that feel their kids don't get enough play time and don't play the right position in every league. Since Mansfield has the Cowboys, Boro the Redskins, Washington has the Panthers, and the Jr. Streaks has anyone who doesn't want to play for the original 3 WCYFL teams the Pop Warner team is struggling to find kids to fill out the team. They have to expand to outside the Warren Hills District to find players. That is why you are seeing information in Hackettstown about them.
The bottom line is, if you want your kid playing with "All Star Team" of whining and complaining parents join the new Pop Warner team. If you want your kids playing with the kids they go to school with and that support your local town join the Mansfield Cowboys, Wahington Township Panthers, Washington Boro Redskins, or Hackettstown Tigers.
It is healthy to have another alternative. I don't know how much for the Delaware Wing T we can take.
It is a shame that the high school program doesn't start working with the younger group so that when they get to high school they pretty much know the plays and what types of offence and defense they will be running.
My high school team had football camps for the younger kids ran by the high school players in the summer just before triples. Before every home game they had all the mini football players down on the field tossing a ball around and had a section in the stands for them to sit and watch the game.
It truly was in your blood.
CJ. 
MikeMc Go Team you hit the nail on the head. Fact is no matter what sport, team or town there will be unhappy people. Some may even refer to these unhappy people as "complainers". I like to call them the "my kid this and my kid that" people. So now there is another league in the area that the "unhappy" people are getting involved with and running it. Good luck...
Bagger I spoke to a parent down town, and one of the rules for the Pop Warner program, is a parent cant coach his own child ! Really wish this town would come together on their football program,and have a feeder system for the high school like other towns.This town was known for football , what happen ?
I love this. This new team is made up of parents living their life through their kids. My kid should be the starter or my kid should get more time. The truth is that many of these kids are not good enough to start over other kids. Some are high risk of getting hurt because they are afraid, don't follow directions or lack skills. One kid cried every practice that he hated football and did not want to be there, but dad made him!! We sat on the sidelines just feeling so bad for this little boy. I believe his dad is involved in this new club. What are you thinking? So if your kid is not good enough to play, is scared to play, doesn't want to play or your dad can finally be the coach- this team is for you!! Just glad we don't have to sit on the sidelines and hear you complain all the time anymore. We really hope it works so that you never try and come back.
Bob Thompson I think the NWJK is a good idea. Parents cannot coach their own kid, which ends up with other children NOT being able to play due to the coach's kid getting played the entire game, or having the "team mom's" kid playing the entire game. Pop Warner teams also have the kids try each position and have them play the position they are the best at. Not to mention, they do not have "unspoken rules" that a girl cannot play, unlike the Jr Streaks. My daughter wants to play football, I'll take her to the NWJK instead of being bullied by the Streaks (girls can't join because it's always been boys, that's what the secretary of the organization told me), or her not be played by the Rec teams, because other parents feel uncomfortable. To be honest, NJ has a professional women's football league. I would want my child to learn all positions and to show what she can do, rather than have her sit on the sideline because it's "safer".
footballgirlsmom Robert
TSA has always had winning records, so you sure it is the youth program? Didn't you start a lot of nonsense last year? You just love the drama. Last year u were wondering why a coach would coach if they had no kid in the program. Oh Robert u r a confusing individual.
Winning records in TSA? I haven't seen any winning teams in ages. This post also originated in 2013.
TSA would do better if they had some competition. Competition makes things better for the consumer. The stronger program would end up standing in the end. If there was competition, maybe the TSA would be motivated to be more organized, infuse some fresh blood and ideas into the administration, break up the good ole boys club, and just have a better program in general. Not too much success this year and time for a change.
Does anyone know if the Knights are doing well or are they suffering the same fate as the Jr. Streaks?
As far as I know the Knights have not won a game yet!! The Knights were formed by a group of parents who thought their kids are better than they are and wanted more play time, so they got a PW charter and started a team.
Neighborhood watch TSA varsity won the division and conference championship last year beating teams that come from group 4 high schools.
Unfortunate the only teams struggling after two games are the jv and pee wee all other teams haven't lost yet and pre clinic is 1 and 1. Get your facts right
So the Knights are a losing program that will end in a year or two. They took kids from a struggling Mansfield program which is going to be gone in a year or two because of low numbers. Someone explain how diluting the talent pool (or healthy competition as someone called it) is good for everyone? Some parents have to realize that not every kid deserves to be the quarterback.
So I have sat on this discussion for some time and now I see winning is what success is based upon. Has anyone asked the kids in any of the programs who is happy and who is not. Does that matter? I have had kids in both the programs and it is not up to me where they play, it is the kids choice. And they are all happy where they play and we have a house split on where we go each weekend. Lets not forget who this is about. Its not about me or my wife it is about where and what my kids want to do. Winning does not mean anything at 7-14 sports, its about having fun. And lets all keep in mind, Warren county is not going to produce many NFL'ers. And would we really want that anyway with the state of affairs in the NFL..
Steve-0 Last year does not consist of ages. Let's see how those conference champions do in HS. The season is new, let's see what all levels are going to accomplish this year. Are you watching all levels of TSA and HS? ....and once again, this post originated in 2013. Didn't realize that this year is going to be another locked topic issue.
Steve-0, I agree that youth football is about kids. But my question is in the long run do the kids benefit from multiple leagues? The Mansfield program does not have enough kids in it to run proper practices. When they go against other teams they are not competitive. The Knights only win was a forfeit, so they are not competitive either. What benefit do the kids get? They programs can't run plays at practice so the kids are not getting any physical activity from practice. The practice is basically walk to where the other team would be. Neither program is winning so its not good for their ego. They are not learning the sport of football since they can't run plays. They can always say they are starting quarterback of a practice that squad that practices against imaginary players. So is spreading the talent pool thin for the benifit of the kids or for parents that want to have a second childhood. There weren't this many choice for youth football when we were growing up and some how we made it.
@big blue you are 100% right, not many kids from warren county do make it to the NFL or any big football colleges for that matter. I feel it is the parents that think their kids are great and should be starters. It should be about fair play, fun times and team work. Some kids go to practice every day they live and breath football but come game time they only get 8 plays. That is the min amount a kid has to play. There may be only 3 or 4 kids on the bench and they will only get 8 plays. That's wrong that's the parent coaches and their big egos and playing their own kids all game long.
Just a few clarifications - the North West Jersey Knights Football Association was started to bring a positive youth football experience for ALL children in our area. It is NOT a rec league; it is a travel football league that plays other team from all over the state. It emphasizes safety, certified coaches and an age/ weight matrix for play that makes sense.
In the 1st year, the players and parents had a great experience and in its 2nd season, participation in the league more than doubled! No one is going to BASH another program just to get kids- they come because the kids are having a great time in a drama-fee environment, the kids are treated with respect by the coaches and they are learning and have an opportunity to play EVERY position on the field, in order to ultimately put them in a successful position,
Anyone is invited to check out a practice and observe how things are different! Or, come to a game - we play at the WH stadium.
The website is www.leaguelineup.com/nwjknights - take a look!
NWJ Knights Honestly TSA and all these leagues are a joke. All I hear from my son and his friends are how they play favorites in HS. Great formula for winning...
metsman What these kids need is to ride their bikes to a field & play on their own - way way too much adult supervision going on everywhere...when i played there were no parents watching practice...was lucky to get one of mine to go to a game...lol
Sparky Anderson said it best - "You could lock your kid in a room for 18 years & if he has talent we will find him."
Bottom line is none of your kids are going pro - so leave them alone and let them have fun & if somebody does have the god given ability to make it - everybody and their brother is going to spot it.
Look at JPP for the Giants - the guy played 1 year of HS football - he didn't need any clinics or TSA's to make it. lol
RU How are the local teams doing this year? TSA, Long Valley Raiders, Mansfield Cowboys, and the Pop Warner Knights?
darwin Local teams are mixed in terms of wins/losses. Washington Boro is strongest (again) as they are undefeated at all levels from Flag all the way up. Washington Township has strong numbers and are competitive. Their oldest age group (13-14) are also undefeated and possibly the strongest team in Warren County. Mansfield struggles numbers wise but are a competitive .500 club. The Knights are likely to fold, as the numbers aren't there and they aren't winning. Some of their kids have already re-joined the tradition rich teams (Boro, Township and Mansfield). Clearly something is working in these feeder programs, because once again the Freshman team is undefeated at WHHS. Just not sure what happens once they hit the Varsity level as the losses continue, but that is a topic for another thread!
LocalFootballFan Reading this thread is kind of sad for me, but from what I've been reading over the past few years most youth programs, not just football, have less participation than in the past. I hear even soccer is down a bit.
When I was growing up in H-town, there was a town league that had - if I remember correctly - four teams, and then there were two more teams for Independence - later three. Pretty much anyone could play on these teams as long as you met the 100# weight limit.
Aside from that there were the "biddie" (95# weight limit) and "midget" (120#) teams that played against other towns. Since those were traveling teams there were try outs and cuts, and if you got cut you were picked up by one of the town teams.
Someone asked what the kids get out this when they're on non-competitive teams. Well, in the years I played, in all of those leagues, I was on one .500 team, and two teams that didn't win a game. On the other hand, I had a helluva lot of fun!
I learned...
- if you want to get good at something, you have to work.
- if you want to get better at something, you have to work harder.
- you need to persevere.
- sometimes, no matter how hard you work, you're still not going to win.
- team dynamics, and even if you have a great day on the field, it's not as great if the team didn't win.
- to find the positive, even in a loss.
- to think on my feet and under pressure.
- that the loss today means nothing. Now you have to prepare for the next game.
Those are all thing that will help you in real life.
Playing football are some of my best memories of growing up in H-town. Maybe I got lucky, and it was the right time and place. Maybe I got lucky and just had some great coaches...and yes, Minnie (Mr. Mincevich) was a great coach! Still in all it's sad for me to read that the local area can barely scrape together a team or two nowadays.
JJB4 Blame it on Daddy Ball and over zealous coaches trying to live vicariously through their children. With that said you create an environment not healthy for anyone to want to be part of. Children/Parents/Volunteers
Like JJB4 i had a great experience with football growing up in the 80's. To my dismay those days are over. Maybe one day they will come back.
CraftBeerBob Hey JJB4 - I remember you!
Minnie and Mr Morpeth both were great - neither one had a son playing so everything was fair. We learned a lot of football - except for the kid he cut first day of practice for sassing him back when he told him to turn his girdle around the right way!
Hope all is well with you.
LocalFootballFan, please stop spreading disinformation. You have NO idea what you are talking about.
Not ONE single kid/family has left the program to play for "tradition rich teams". The notion of such is laughable. The Knights play a MUCH more competitive level of football and I would put our Midgets against ANY local program.
The stink of desperation is upon you...
And you are right CraftBeerBob. That's exactly what that organization is NOT all about.
Banzai!! http://www.mcyfl-nj.com/wp2014/
I will again direct you to the league website. It's schedule section is up to date with this weekends scores
Thanks for the link for the TSA scores. How did the Mansfield, Washington Boro, Washington Township, and Knights do?
Season started tonight. So too early to tell. Is there a particular team of interest??
Not any team in particular. Just like seeing kids play for the fun of it.
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