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Meeting discusses potential for junior football

The possibility of bringing junior football to southeast Saskatchewan was discussed during a meeting on Jan. 16 at the Western Star Hotel in Estevan.

The possibility of bringing junior football to southeast Saskatchewan was discussed during a meeting on Jan. 16 at the Western Star Hotel in Estevan.

Jason Bresciani, who is trying to establish the Junior Roughnecks team along with Frank DeBruyn, said it was a good meeting, although the 14 people who showed up was lower than they wanted. Fifty copies of the agenda were printed off.

Still, they believe there is enough interest in the southeast region to make the team happen.

“The questions that were asked were really good. At times the whole group was brainstorming with different ideas, and different directions, and different experiences,” said Bresciani.

Representatives from Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football, the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs football team, Weyburn Minor Football and Regina Minor Football were in attendance.

Those who were present wanted to know about the budget, the cost to get the team operational and to acquire the necessary equipment, the fields and the team name itself. Other people wanted to know about the league the Roughnecks would play in, the Manitoba Major Junior Football League, a four-team loop with three teams in Winnipeg and one in Brandon. Teams played a six-game season last year.

Some asked questions about referee and coach certification.

“Some of the questions that were asked were questions that Frank and I were asking each other when we were doing our research,” said Bresciani. “It was kind of neat hearing those same questions again, but from somebody else.”

Bresciani believes there is still enough interest to start a team, which would have a roster of 48 players between the ages of 18 and 22.

“We had three kids who are eligible to play there (at the meeting),” said Bresciani. “One said he had four or five buddies who would play too. Right there we’re pushing 10. It shouldn’t take much for us to get 50 players.”

He broke it down to having 10 players for each of the five years of eligibility.

There are several players from the Moosomin area who are interested in playing as well, he said, but they couldn’t be in attendance due to the start of their winter program.

A few people who were in attendance voiced an interest in coaching.

Bresciani and DeBruyne hoped to establish a board at the meeting, but they couldn’t, since nobody present was interested in being part of the board. Bresciani hopes they can get their board set up in the near future.

The Roughnecks organization is also looking for sponsors, and will apply for grants.

“The real legwork is going to be starting right away,” said Bresciiani.

They hope to be playing this year, but if not, they would expect to field a team in 2020. It would require a lot of things to fall into place in the next couple of weeks, which is why they want to get a board in place, but Bresciani said they will keep working to get the team established.