About 70,000 fans at Giants stadium got a glimpse this past Sunday of what Greenwich residents can see every Sunday during the autumn. The half-time show at the New York Giants victory over the San Francisco 49ers was a series of scrimmage-plays between the Cos Cob Crushers and the Putnam Generals, two of the six teams in the Greenwich Youth Football League.
The GYFL has been a tremendous resource for the perpetual Connecticut state football power-house Greenwich High School Cardinals. The volunteer coaches in the GYFL teach the kids (boys and occasionally girls) the basics of football – conditioning, training, blocking, tackling, pass routes, offensive schemes, defensive approaches and most importantly discipline and sportsmanship. The league has teams for players in 3rd grade through 8th grade.
League graduates, including NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, typically play on the GHS freshman team. GHS, with its “no-cut” policy is one of the largest athletic programs at GHS, and fields four teams, freshman, sophomore, JV and Varsity, each with a full schedule. GHS Coach Rich Albonizio has credited the GYFL with being a farm-system for the high school.
The popularity of the GYFL has caused the league to increase the number of teams in recent years. In addition to the Crushers and Generals, the half-time stars at Giants Stadium, there are the BANC Raiders from Byram, the Glenville Mavericks (no connection to the McCain-Palin ticket), and two recent additions, the North Mianus Bulldogs and the Riverside Gators. More information on the GYFL can be found at:
