McNamara Award Recognizes Past President And Hard Work

By Andy Hutchison

Every year, a different person involved with the Newtown Youth Football program will be honored for dedication to the teams and players. As part of this award, former league president Mike McNamara, who stepped down after last season, will be recognized again ... and again.

Newtown Youth Football coaches and board members this year announced that the recently inaugurated McNamara Award will recognize an individual involved with the program on an annual basis. McNamara’s name was chosen for the award based on his efforts, namely those in getting the program involved with the American Youth Football League four years ago.

“We will honor one person who goes above and beyond the call and put their name on the McNamara plaque,” said youth program board member and longtime coach Sean Remson, who was among those who initiated the formation of award.

McNamara was instrumental in switching Newtown’s youth program from the Pop Warner Football program to the American Youth Football League to give more players an opportunity to strap on the pads and play football. Pop Warner enforces weight restrictions in an effort to reduce injuries, causing some of the heavier players to sit out, and the AYF does not, rather basing team makeup on age. Newtown youth coaches believed this move would, in fact, provide a safer gridiron environment, level the playing field and allow for more players to participate.

“Weight doesn’t seem to have an effect on injuries. What does seem to have an effect is when the players are stronger and faster,” Remson said.

Newtown’s program grew from five teams to seven teams in three years. It started with 120 participants and has nearly doubled since the change was made.

“It just grew leaps and bounds since we started AYF and [McNamara’s] a big part of it,” Remson said. “He was the one who really put his foot forward and decided he wanted more kids to play football.”

McNamara said the older players, even at the same weight level as their younger counterparts, are more mature and dominated those opponents. “What we found was that older kids playing younger kids was never a fair way to play,” he added.

McNamara, who was president of the league for five years, and is succeeded by Sean Dunn, sits on the board as a past president for one year. He had three children go through Newtown’s youth football program.

His dedication to the program goes beyond switching the program into the AYF, having been involved with the Newtown Youth Football Camp for eight years.

He is still heavily involved with youth and high school football in town.

The coordinator for the Newtown Youth Football camp, McNamara is also the president of the Nighthawks Football Association, the booster club for the high school program.

The camp, McNamara says, keeps the entire Newtown football family together. “From Mighty Mites to varsity its all Newtown Football,” he said, referring to a popular phrase within the program.