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Health & Fitness

Great Valley Youth Football - Why?

There hasn't always been a Great Valley Football League. Years from now that will be hard to believe. GVFL - because our kids deserve it.

As this is my first blog post, I figured it's best to start with why the GVFL even exists.  I bring this up because until 2010 there was no GVFL.  Yes, GVBL had existed as a place for the Great Valley community to come together to play youth basketball but not for football.  

Until 2010, boys who were looking to play football or girls who were looking to cheer were spread out around the towns surrounding Great Valley.  My son and others played for the Conestoga Generals, some played for LAFA in West Chester.  Others played at Marsh Creek or King of Prussia or Marple-Newtown.  Not really an ideal situation when trying to bring a community together around something that people felt passionate about individually.  It really was a lost opportunity.  And many were skeptical whether or not GV would have the numbers to support a Youth Football program.

Well thanks to people like Keith Walsh, Gary Phillips, Alex Utecht, Ellen Neri and many others the GVFL came to be.  And in just our second year, 2011 saw almost 200 kids involved.  It's funny that years from now the boys and girls in our community who want to play football won't even know a time when where to play was not obvious.  But every once in awhile we'll all try and remember that the reason this was all done was to provide a place for all of the kids in Great Valley to play and cheer together.  

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Sure there are benefits longer term to the high school programs, but GVFL exists for our kids - a chance for them to get together, play and practice together and talk about in school and share a common experience.  

So Why Great Valley Football League - because our kids deserve it.

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