For the second straight season, the Greater Grand Forks Youth Football Association earned Gold Level recognition from USA Football! This past season, teams from Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, Crookston, Warren-Alvarado-Oslo, Grafton, Hillsboro-Central Valley, Mayville-Portland-Hope, Hatton-Northwood, Larimore, Midway, and Thompson participated.
“Our athletes give 100% on the field. Our coaches are 100% USA Football certified and background-checked. Those two things prove the dedication that our coaches have for doing their very best for the athletes in our program,” said GGFYFA Executive Director Paul Strande. “Dedication to our athletes’ football experience is our organization’s number one priority.” The GGFYA believes kids play football for three reasons:
- They want to have FUN!!
- They want to be with their friends.
- They either like or love the game of football.
Those three reasons guide the staff and board in making decisions on any important discussions that arise in the program. “We’ve worked very hard since 2018 to increase the levels of football offered, and our participation numbers have grown from less than 450 athletes to 1,150 this past season. We offer Tackle, Rookie Tackle, Flag Football, and a girls-only division of flag football. Our staff and our youth football board work to make our program better every year and we are just so excited to see our numbers carry through to the high school levels in the communities we serve,” said Executive Director Paul Strande. “Huge credit and thanks go to the 250-plus coaches in our program who get background-checked, get USA Football certified, and demonstrate the beliefs we ask them to use when working with the athletes. Without our excellent coaches, we could not achieve USA Football Gold Level status.”
