Houlton football is a ‘go’ for the fall

The Houlton Football Association (HFA) continues to move ahead with important planning for the upcoming fall football season. This is a critical year for the sport in the greater Houlton area, as the former 8-man, Aroostook Football League team “Houlton Knights” will be transitioning to an 11-man varsity football program at Houlton High School beginning this fall.
This year, the Shiretowners will play a junior varsity schedule, prior to moving to a Maine Principal’s Association varsity football schedule, hopefully for the fall of 2013. HFA will operate the high school team for the next three years, and then, at that point, the team plans to transition to full control by SAD 29.
    In addition, the HFA will assist with the operation of the junior high and peewee leagues as they transition from the AFL affiliation (this fall) to total local control (2013.) The junior high and peewee leagues will continue to be open to all children in grades 3-8.
A board of directors for the HFA was recently elected, consisting of 11 area residents, and their officers were also selected. Ben Drew of Houlton was elected president of the HFA, and he will be assisted by Dennis Hagan, who will serve as vice president, Sue Heath as secretary, and Theresa Bragan as treasurer. Meetings will occur at least monthly, and are open to the public. The next meeting of the HFA Board of Directors will take place at the Houlton High School cafeteria on Wednesday, June 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
While the high school program will be the primary focus of the HFA during the formative timeframe, the junior high and peewee programs will also be critical in providing a solid feeder program for the high school program.
The junior high and peewee program will be holding their call outs/sign-ups on Monday, June 11, beginning at 6 p.m., at the Houlton High School cafeteria. All students from area schools interested in junior high (7-8 grade) or peewee (3-6 grade) are encouraged to attend, along with at least one parent or guardian. The fees for the junior high and peewee programs will remain the same as in prior years, with the first child from a family paying $150, a second child $100, and additional children $75.
The Houlton Football Association is excited to see their football program continue to grow, and they will be looking for volunteers to assist in running this growing program.