Bellingham Falcons Looking Forward to the New Season
The 12U Falcons cheer team went to Nationals last year, coming in 5th across the entire country.
By Jennifer Russo
It’s hard to believe that Fall is just around the corner, and with that comes the well-loved sports of football and cheerleading. The Bellingham Falcons, members of the American Youth Football & Cheer league, offer flag football, tackle football and cheerleading for kindergarten through 7th graders in and around Bellingham.
Youth sports programs like this enable kids to learn and play before they get to the upper grade level sports, preparing them to play in high school at a higher level. Team sports like this teach kids valuable skills like leadership, safety, and accountability. It builds in the importance of an active and fit lifestyle, while creating a platform for new and lasting friendships, a spirit of healthy competition and, most importantly, how to work together as a team.
“Since 2020, our program has doubled in participation – we have over 150 kids participating this year,” says BAYFC Board President, Greg Shannon, who has been with the league for 15 years. “Our football teams are working hard to earn titles this season and the cheer teams were enormously successful last year and looking to defend theirs.”
The 12U Falcons cheer team went to Nationals last year, coming in 5th across the entire country.
For 2022, the Falcons are optimistic and have been in the process of gearing up, literally. With the recent purchase of all new equipment such as shoulder pads and helmets, cheer uniforms, practice gear and play review software, the teams are looking forward to an amazing season. Coaches have attended multiple clinics, including the New England Football Coaches Clinic offered at Gillette Stadium. Football players and cheerleaders attended clinics in the Spring as well, to brush off those skills after the long winter.
Bellingham Falcons coaches attended a clinic at Gillette Stadium. The season is about to begin.
In addition to the successful Spring clinics, the high school coaches ran a football clinic for the younger players in late July – honing skills for all levels across all field positions. Additionally, the Falcons are collaborating with the Bellingham High School football coaching staff, working alongside them this season in an effort to expose the players to new and proven skills across the sport at the varsity level.
Home games are played on the Bellingham High School turf field and the program welcomes fans to come cheer on the teams beginning Labor Day weekend. The full schedule will be posted on the Bellingham Falcons Facebook page by the end of August.
“Football and cheerleading are really the ultimate team sports,” says Shannon. “They teach so many life lessons that create future leaders of industry and academia. Plus, there’s nothing better than watching a kid grow and feel empowered - witnessing the moment the realization hits them that they can achieve great things.”
Flag and tackle football, in addition to cheer, is offered by Bellingham Falcons for students K-7th grade.
The program is a non-profit, funded solely by fundraising and sponsorships, and has a volunteer board of parents and those who have a love for football and cheer. To learn more about the program, visit the Bellingham Falcons website at www.bellinghamayfc.com
