GUILDERLAND — Frank Finn has 15 or so years of football experience behind him. And now he sees the future of the sport.

Finn is one of the many volunteer coaches for the football league.

Finn coaches the Mighty Mite level — for players ages seven through nine, weighing between 45 and 90 pounds.
"I’m proud of what we do with the kids," Finn said at practice on Wednesday. "We prepare them for playing. This is a learning level, a teaching level. We don’t keep score. The kids learn technique and have fun. We teach technique like tackling and other fundamentals."

That’s the goal for the Pop Warner league at most levels: To teach the game and prepare good players for the older Midget level.

A record number of players have come out to play this fall, said the league’s vice president, Dennis Sheehan.
"We have four flag teams of five-, six-, seven-year olds," he said. "We have a record 52 kids in the flag program. That is twice as many as last year."

The tackle levels have also seen an increase of players. Sheehan said that the Mighty Mite and Junior Pee Wee levels each have about 30 kids. There are about 21 kids on the Midget level.
"That’s a bit of a challenge," Sheehan said. "We get the kids that are not playing school ball and are opting to play with us. But we have a good team. They won the Capital District Super Bowl last year."

Cheer teams

Sheehan said that there is a decline overall in the number of cheerleaders. However, there are more younger cheerleaders and there will be, for the first time, cheerleaders for the flag football teams.
"That’s pretty neat," Sheehan said. "Other associations have it. There are parents coaching them. The results have been a pleasant surprise for what they have done. There are 20 per group."
"I believe most teams have 25 to 29 girls," said Debbie Hilson, who is the head coach of the Junior Midget cheerleading team. "We have 28 girls, which is lower this year. The past couple of years, the league mark has been set at 35."

Hilson said that some girls are cheering on all-star teams instead of Pop Warner and the league will not allow for any crossover. Also, a lot of the older girls are trying out for the high-school teams.

The cheer teams have been successful.
"Historically, the cheer teams do very well at the state and regional meets," Sheehan said. "We had four teams qualify for regionals last year. We produce pretty good high school cheerleaders."

The Guilderland High School cheer team is one of the top squads in the country and won its class at a national meet last winter.

Enthusiastic coaches

Sheehan said that a lot of kids come back because of the coaching.
"What I’m pleased about is that we have a very enthusiastic group of coaches," he said. "We get some turnover, because they have moved through the system and then they leave. The Mighty Mites are a lot of first- and second-year coaches. They have been really terrific and have a great rapport with the kids."

Finn played football for 15 years through many different levels. The highest level he played was semi-professional. He was at that level for three years.

Sheehan said that new board members have brought some fresh ideas and enthusiasm to the league. But one tradition that remains — and is strong — is Family Fun Night.

This year, the event will be held on Aug. 26t. There will be two or three scrimmages going on and there will be a Bouncy Bounce and a rock-climbing wall.
"It will be a great night," Sheehan said. "We want to get a lot of people here."

There will also be giveaways at this year’s event, including a drawing for New York Giants season tickets and two tickets to a University of Notre Dame game.

Finn and Hilson are examples of what Pop Warner is all about. They give up their time to help teach and share with kids something they love.

Finn leaves his job as a commercial manager at Adirondack Tire and comes to practice for two-and-a-half hours, four nights a week during the fall. There are also practices on Saturdays and games are on Sundays.

Finn and Hilson are emblematic of the growth and the stability of the program.
"It’s nice to see a lot of the same kids back," Finn said.

Also another thread in the fabric of the Pop Warner League is forced by the younger coaches who come from the high school to help out with practices.
"Junior coaches do a lot of the work," Hilson said. "We have a better ratio of adults to children. We are way above what Pop Warner requires. This program wouldn’t be where it is without the junior coaches."

With all the help that Finn gets, he is more accessible.
"It makes it a little easier to mingle around," Finn said. "I can give better attention and more direct contact with parents and coaches involved. It’s a win-win for everybody."

And that involvement is a big reason for the success of the Pop Warner program in Guilderland.
"The program is growing," Sheehan said. "We have more football players than ever before. Everyone sees how good a program this is. Kids had fun with it and they bring their friends this year. For a program like this, that is everything. This program is structured for kids to learn."