The Wallington Jr. Panthers football team, a fixture in Bergen County youth sports for more than 50 years, may not field a team this season unless it can quickly recruit more players.
On Monday night, the organization announced on Facebook that low registration numbers threaten the program’s existence.
“It is with heavy hearts that we write to you today regarding the future of the Wallington Jr. Panthers football program,” the board said. “Despite our best efforts, we are currently facing a crisis that could result in the cancellation of our upcoming season.”
The program fields several age groups, ranging from a flag league for 5- and 6-year-old players to its senior team with 12- and 13-year-olds. It also has cheerleading squads that correspond to each age group.
The board said it has reached out to families, promoted registration through various channels and made numerous attempts to engage parents and players, but the response has been minimal, leading to the possibility that there will be no team if more players and coaches do not sign up.
At the time of the announcement, the program had 72 hours to save itself. That makes Thursday for when the board will meet to decide its future. The program was founded in 1974.
“We truly believe the Wallington Jr. Panthers can be saved — with your help,” the board stated. “If you’ve ever considered having your child play football, now is the time to step forward. If you’ve ever thought about volunteering, coaching or simply helping out — we need you more than ever. This program runs on the dedication of our parents and community volunteers, and without that support, we simply cannot move forward. We do not want to make the difficult decision to cancel, but without immediate support from our community, we may have no other choice.”
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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.
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