Youth football is returning to Sarnia this fall.
Registration is now open for Sarnia Minor Athletic Association (SMAA) Football with about 70 spots available in each division.
SMAA Chairman Chris Isaac said they're excited to be back.
"We have flag football for ages 6 to 8, then we have pee wee for ages 9 to 11, and we have bantam which is ages 12 and 13."
Isaac said the program has been running for close to 40 years now and that it offers the perfect way to get into football.
"Coaches take their time teaching the safety and the fundamentals of the game and fostering teamwork out there and it helps build up to leading into more if they want to get into travel or anything like that," he said. "It's about fostering teamwork and friendships and building up character and strength in new players all across."
Isaac said the program was hit pretty hard by the pandemic and that the hiatus limited physical activity for kids.
"I think the teamwork and the friendships that you build, I think the kids really missed out on a lot of that. They have a lot of fun running around with other players and meeting new people."
Isaac said SMAA works with Football Canada's national coaching certification program, Safe Contact.
"It's taught to the coaches and gives them different techniques for safe tackling essentially. I don't want to say it eliminates risk, but it really minimizes the risk of brain concussions -- that's the big one people are talking about now."
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