A Fort Macleod man wants to kick off a football program in town.
Harold Wiens is calling the plays that he hopes will lead to a team of Grade 5-7 children next season in Fort Macleod.
“I would just love to see a program in town,” Wiens said. “I want to share my love of the game.”
An organizational meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29 in the G.R. Davis school library.
Wiens is targeting a Pee Wee team as a place to start, but if there was enough interest from players and people willing to coach a Bantam team for players in Grade 8-9 could also be formed.
Wiens has to get the foundation in place by January in order to make a presentation at the annual meeting of the Southern Alberta Minor Football Association.
“I don’t see why there shouldn’t be a football program in Fort Macleod,” Wiens said. “A little more variety in sports would be good.”
Wiens is optimistic there is support in town for a football program, with children from Fort Macleod already travelling to Claresholm and Lethbridge to play football.
“My theory is why deprive a kid from being able to play a sport?” Wiens said. “Why not give it a chance?”
Wiens gave football a chance when he was in Grade 10 in Vancouver. he played three years of high school football and three years of junior with the Abbotsford Air Force.
“It was just fun,”Wiens said. “It was fun to hang out with the guys. It was a sport, being the big kid, that there was a position for me to play.”
Wiens played on the offensive and defensive lines and found football offered all kinds of benefits.
“It got me into shape, and gave me something to work for,” Wiens said. “It’s a game that teaches you physical toughness, and mental toughness.”
Football is an equal opportunity employer, providing opportunities for every child.
“It’s a fun game to be part of,” Wiens said. “You don’t have to be the world’s greatest athlete to play. You’ve got 12 guys on the field, and every one of them has a job that is important.”
Wiens coached two years of high school football in Abbotsford and five years of Bantam football – four of them with the Lethbridge Rams and this past season with the Claresholm Raiders.
An up-coming organizational meeting will test the waters for a football program in Fort Macleod.
“I could see us drawing pretty good numbers in town,” Wiens said. “If we could have 25 to 30 kids that would be great.”
Anyone interested in getting involved in a Fort Macleod football program is asked to contact Harold Wiens at 403-553-3339 or hdwiens@hotmail.com.