Newtown Youth Football & Cheer (NYF&C) got underway with preseason practices — football at Treadwell Park and cheer at the back turf field at Newtown High for a day due to rain before moving over to Dickinson Park — on August 7. The teams will compete in the Shoreline Conference this fall. Football kicks off with games, K-2 flag and grades 3-8 tackle, as August gives way to September. The cheerleaders will support the football players from the sidelines and compete in local, regional, and state competitions, and potentially beyond, later this fall.

Pete Stockwell, president of NTF&C, said the organization has 285 total athletes: 95 cheer, 140 tackle football, and 50 flag football players. One change on the football side of things is breaking up the second and third graders, who previously were united on the 79er squad. The second graders will join the K and first graders for flag football and the 79ers will have a big enough lineup with 21 third graders. The Newtown program was one of the few to push back tackle a year for the second graders and now have enough for the third grade team, Stockwell said. “We feel it is a better overall experience to have second grade continue in flag,” he added.

For the best experience possible for all involved, there are some things the coaches look for in their players throughout the season. “From the football side we focus on three things,” Stockwell said. “Do these daily and the season and the program are a success: A. Have fun; B. Commit; C. Get better every day.”

There is a big change in venue this autumn. After years with Hawley School’s natural grass fields being the primary home digs for the program, the youth gridders and cheer squads will make the move to turf.

“We are thrilled to be kicking off another football season. This season all home games will be played on the new turf behind the high school and we are excited to see the progress of that project as we move forward,” Stockwell said.

The football and cheer opportunities are made possible by many dedicated volunteers.

“NYF&C is run exclusively by volunteers. Football has approximately 37 coaches, not including high school volunteers. Each team has a team mom that is key to the organization of that team. Parent volunteers make game days possible. All total, the organization relies on literally hundreds of people throughout the season to make it smooth and successful for the young athletes,” Stockwell said.

Cheer Squads Ready To Go

The 2023 campaign marks another year of double digit growth for the cheer program,” according to Kristen Keil, vice president of cheer for the NYF&C program. “In 2022 we had 86 cheerleaders. For the 2023 season we have 95 registered cheerleaders. We also have 16 high school demonstrators and 20 coaches.”

The D8 squad consists of 29 cheerleaders, D10 has a team of 30, D12 has 20 cheerleaders, and D14 features 16.

“Our youngest girls are focusing on learning the basics of cheerleading. Our older teams are pushing themselves to compete at advanced levels and learn new skills,” said Keil, adding that the primary goals for all of the teams are to have fun and advance skills while reinforcing the fundamentals. “And, of course, we’d love to win Nationals again. Coming off two years with Nationals Champions we definitely want to get our teams back there and continue our streak,” Keil noted.

“I can feel this is going to be a great cheer year. All of our girls came back to practice with great attitudes, eager to learn and push themselves. We have a great energy this year and can’t wait to see what these girls can do,” Keil said.

“We are so lucky to have such amazing and dedicated coaches, and demonstrators, and parent volunteers. Our program is successful because of the efforts of these selfless people who give so much time and energy to lead and coach our cheerleaders. Not only do we have more cheerleaders this year, we also have more coaches and student demonstrators than we have had in the past. I think that is because we have been having so much fun together coaching and watching these young athletes succeed,” Keil said.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.