The Hamilton Minor Football Association, celebrating 50 years of minor football in the city, invites current and former players, coaches and parents to gather at a gala 50th-anniversary Halloween Dinner Dance, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 25 at Michelangelo’s.
The event is part of a program of celebration that has included the league’s first-ever combine in May; announcement of an expansion of its house-league program; the introduction of a program welcoming former HMFA players like Mark Verbeek, who went on to play in the CFL, back to HMFA playing fields to meet with current players; and efforts to gather photos and stories from the past 50 years to bolster the league’s archives.
Tickets for the Hallowe’en gala are $25 each and the HMFA is reaching out to welcome former players, coaches and supporters to the event. Doors open at 5:30, dinner is at 6:30 and dancing goes until 1. Costumes are optional but best costume wins a prize. Prize donations are welcomed – contact the dance committee. For tickets or more information, contact Danielle Baboth at 905-977-7109, email [email protected].
The 2012-13 off-season saw regional expansion and the growth of local partnerships as well. For the first time, HMFA house-league teams are playing an interlocking schedule with teams from the Cambridge Minor Football Association and other regions as part of a broader association with the Ontario Varsity Football League (OVFL). The local community teams have joined a Minor Development (MD) program intended to bolster grassroots football across the province.
As part of the new MD program, Hamilton teams are playing under OVFL MD rules designed to encourage fair play and greater participation.
“The HMFA remains committed to the core strategies that we have followed for 50 years, which is inclusive player development at the grassroots level, practices at local neighbourhood parks and limited travel on game days,” said league Director of Coaching Paul Micieli.
The HMFA operates house-league (MD) teams in the bantam division (ages 13 and 14), peewee (ages 11 and 12) and atom (ages 8 to 10). Community teams are the East Mountain Lions, the Stoney Creek Bombers, the West Mountain Riders, the Westdale Eskimos and the East Hamilton Stampeders.
The HMFA also operates rep teams in each age division, playing in the OVFL as the Hamilton Junior Tiger-Cats.
As part of its Welcome Back program, the West Mountain Riders invited former Hamilton Tiger-Cat Mark Verbeek to attend a practice in August and talk to the peewee squad about his career playing with the HMFA’s Bombers some 30 years ago. Verbeek was interviewed by the media and showed off the first sweater that he wore 32 years ago.
Earlier this year, the HMFA announced a new partnership with the Hamilton Ironmen, a rep program playing spring football in the OVFL. The arrangement is intended to expand the opportunities for young Hamilton football players, offering a spring rep league in addition to the fall rep teams and fall MD program.
The HMFA board of directors is also encouraging former HMFA players and coaches to submit photos and anecdotes from their years in the league, to be posted on the league’s website (HMFA.ca) and Facebook page. A photo archive with images from as early as 1972 has already been posted at the league’s website. Send your photos to Don Wall at [email protected] or Dan Fournier at [email protected].
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