“1, 2, 3, team! 1, 2, 3, Fremont!” rang out across Irvington Community Park’s field on Saturday morning, where young athletes, ages 6 through 14, practiced drills at Fremont Football and Cheer League’s (FFL) final spring camp.
Established in 1964, FFL is a co-ed youth football and cheerleading organization serving kids from Fremont and neighboring cities. Boys and girls interested in stepping onto the gridiron can join FFL’s in-house spring flag football league or the “Firebirds” tackle football team, which competes in the summer against teams across the East Bay. Kids interested in cheer also practice in the summer, learning routines and performing during halftime at Firebirds games.
FFL’s spring camps mark the start of the tackle football and cheer calendar, focusing on general conditioning and developing basic skills like tackling and learning dance moves. On Saturday, volunteer coaches, many of them FFL alumni, led football athletes through stretching before splitting into age and position groups. The cheer team also practiced on the turf, focusing on stretching and choreography.
The camp also drew several high-profile attendees, including former Fremont Mayor Lily Mei and ex-Seattle Seahawks running back Robert Turbin, an FFL and Irvington High School alumnus who served as a guest coach. Both said they are working with FFL to support the community and advocate for better local football facilities.
Indeed, finding field space is a pressing issue for FFL. League officials said that local cultural shifts and the rise of other sports like soccer have made it harder to secure city permits, and in prior seasons, forced them to relocate games to Hayward or San Jose. To combat this, they hope to repurpose unused FUSD high school fields and convince the city to expand its facilities.
But despite these challenges and even amid recent attempts to ban youth tackle football statewide, community interest in football and cheer remains strong.
“[I signed my kid up] because she’s an active kid who loves anything involving jumping, screaming and bouncing around,” said Amelia Nelson, an FFL cheerleader parent.
“Being part of a team teaches kids lifelong values and cooperation, and doing that in the ‘ultimate team sport’ is the best,” said Firebirds parent Keith Parker.
Depending on their child’s age and weight, parents can register them for one of FFL’s four tackle football divisions—8U, 10U, 12U and 14U, or the cheerleading team.
For more information, visit FFL’s website; call 510.CAN.PASS or email Fr*****************@***il.com.
