It all started with a handful of 13 and 14-year-olds playing organized touch football.
Now, 10 years later, Prince Albert Minor Football (PAMF) boasts hundreds of members playing across several age groups, contact and non-contact.
PAMF is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.
While there were leagues around in the 1960s and 1980s, they lasted about five years each, making the current iteration of PAMF the longest lasting.
“It’s kind of a milestone year. We’re quite happy to have been around this long,” said Taras Kachkowski, a coach and board member with PAMF.
“We’re looking forward to being around for longer yet.”
Since starting with that singe touch football league, the organization has grown to include three non-contact age divisions from ages 4-10, and contact football for kids aged 9-17.
PAMF was put together by people who played in the ‘80s and wanted to put a league together for their kids.
“Having a good strong start … was certainly important,” Kachkowski said. “What’s maintained it is a good, solid core group of guys.”
Kachkowski has been involved with the program for eight years. He knows others who have been there for all ten. He said it’s the strength of the volunteers who come out to coach and help out that have enabled the league to survive for so long.
“One thing that is really helping with the programs is several of the ids that have gone through it and are in high school often can’t wait to give back and start coaching,” Kachkowski said.
Registration for the spring season is still open online, and equipment fitting and registration payment night is April 30, from 4-6 p.m. at Crescent Heights arena, located at 998 Branion Drive.
For more on this story, please see the April 19 print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.
