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GCYFA News Herald Story

 

Youth football association formed

By JOSH WEINFUSS
News Herald Writer 747-5069 | jweinfuss@pcnh.com 

(printed July 17, 2009)

    Bay County wasn’t without a youth football organization for long. A couple of months after the stresses of the economy forced the Gulf Coast Midget Football League to fold in May, the presidents of eight area youth leagues formed the Gulf Coast Youth Football Association. 

   
   Under the GCYFA umbrella, the Callaway Rebels, Hiland Park Razorbacks, Millville Warriors, Parker Pirates, Forest Park Raptors, Lynn Haven Raiders, Panama City Beach Barracudas and the Springfield Panthers will play football and be supported by cheerleading squads. “We felt because of some of the decisions that have been made previously and things like that, we felt it better to start new, but at the same time we didn’t want to totally scrap the Gulf Coast name because it has been around for a long time,” said Darrell Johnson, athletic director for the Barracudas and the league’s rules commissioner. “We wanted to preserve some of the heritage, but at the same time we wanted to let parents, kids, coaches and everybody know this is a new ballgame.” GCYFA president Ty Steele said the new organization’s focus is to make the kids its priority.  “We changed so much,” Steele said. “We made it more organized. More structured. I think people will get more out of this for their money.”  The cost for football players is between $125-150. Cheerleading costs are less, but parents pay for uniforms.