The Northern Raiders Midget football team has been training since mid-January, and now that the weather is improving, practices have been moved outdoors in preparation for its 2012 season.
The team, which plays in the Calgary Midget Football Association, has recruited a total of 45 players for the year, a number that head coach Steve Kemp says is perfect for a football team.
ìThatís a pretty good number. Ideally, we would like to be between 45 and 50, we will be right in that number,î said Kemp. ìWe have a good mix of grade 9s, 10s and 11s and thatís good for future years as well.î
Kemp added that there is a decent amount of experience on this yearís squad.
ìWe returned a lot from last year, guys from the (Calgary) division 3 championship,î said Kemp. ìThere is a lot of excitement within the guys. They want to go for that division 1 championship.î
The Raiders continue to work on skills, conditioning and getting the playbook engrained on everyoneís mind. The team is practicing between once and three times a week.
Without a game under their belt, Kemp said he is excited to see some players taking the reigns as leaders on the team, and overall, the attitude of the group of players is very positive.
ìWe havenít named our captains yet, but there are guys that are definitely taking the reigns and taking the ball and running with it, leading and holding guys accountable. Itís positive to see,î said Kemp.
ìTheir attitude is they want to win. They are hungry and they are willing to put in the work. On average, we are getting everybody to practice every week. That shows they are committed and they want to go.î
The first game for the Northern Raiders will be held on April 4 against the Calgary Cowboys at Shouldice Parkís Encana Field at 7 p.m.
