I’ve been going to cover the United Youth Football League National Championships every year since 2013, my first in Plant City, and I always look forward to this time of year.
The UYFL never fails to bring high-quality youth football action to the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, as it’s done since 2011. If you’ve never been able to go see the tournament for yourself, or just haven’t felt like checking it out, this weekend would be a good time to change that.
This tourney consistently features some really great youth football teams from all over the country: New York, California, Illinois, Connecticut, you name it. These teams and their fans (mostly, parents and family) always bring the passion for their games, making each day feel like more than just the average playoff game.
If you want to cheer for a hometown team, you can certainly do that: the Plant City Dolphins are bringing all five of their Tri-County Youth Football and Cheerleading Conference teams, plus 6U and 14U all-star teams. The UYFL follows different age guidelines than the TCYFCC does, so each TCYFCC team will move down one age division for UYFL and the 14U team will include some high school players to round out the roster.
If you want drama, I can almost guarantee you that there will be drama. My favorite stretch ever came in 2014, when the Plant City Dolphins’ UYFL Mighty Mites team beat four undefeated squads in a row to win a championship. One of the teams it beat, according to hearsay, allegedly hadn’t lost a game in three years. Every win felt like an upset because, well, every win was an upset.
If you want spectacle, you’re going to get spectacle. The tourney uses nearly every inch of Ellis-Methvin Park, whether for seven football fields or for other attractions. When the kids win championships, there’s a legitimate ceremony with a jumbotron, an emcee and a trophy/ring presentation. These kids are getting real-deal hardware for their successes.
I know that youth football isn’t always as diverse, playbook-wise, as high school, but I can assure you that this is the cream of the crop. Coaches will dig deeper into the playbooks than normal, and you will see some kids put on a show on their respective game days. I’ve used the tournament for our Athlete of the Week feature in the past and, since the kids always give their best efforts here, I won’t be surprised if someone wows me again this year and makes the feature.
Starting this weekend, you have almost a full week to check it out. Games run all day, every day, and the championship games are being held all day Friday, Dec. 9. Why not go support local kids and catch some good football games?