After 101 years of action on the field next to Edison High School, there was no football team this year. There will be an effort made to resume the program next year.
The reason was fairly simple. There just weren’t enough athletes who turned out for the program.
“There was just a lack of interest. We didn’t have enough students turn out,” Principal Eryn Warne said.
She said that ideally there would be enough students to field several teams, and enough students as a safety factor on the varsity team.
“I think there were two main reasons. First was the lack of a Pee Wee program at the Northeast parks. Kids just don’t come up playing football anymore.
“The second reason is soccer. Enough students turned out for boys soccer to field three teams. We’ve just had huge numbers in soccer, and I think that may be pulling away from the other sports.”
The boys’ soccer team had a successful season, going 7-4-4. About 90 boys turned out for the soccer program.
Warne said Athletic Director Kiristen Robinson considered the option of having a cooperative program with another school or schools, but that didn’t work out for a variety of reasons, partly because of a late start in the process.
Robinson refused to answer any questions about the absence of a football team this year, but she did say, “There will be a team next year.” She said the athletic department is in the process of interviewing football coaching candidates for next year.
Warne said, “The athletic director has started a weight training program at the high school for all the athletic teams, in part to get future football players ready.”
Warne said Title IX requirements, a federal law that requires the balance of boys and girls sports, was not a factor in the decision this year to cancel the program.
Mike Iacarella, president of the Edison Community and Sports Foundation, said the group was “very disappointed” that the program was halted this year, but hoped to work with other civic and school groups to try to revive the program.
He said it was ironic that the football field was just renovated with a new scoreboard and public address system this year.
Minneapolis Roosevelt, which began football the same year as Edison, 1922, halted its football program last year, but this year revived it.
Edison’s program has had its glory years, including 21 city championships, and its down years, including two no winning seasons since 2004.
Editor’s note: Watch for the Nov. 20 issue of the Northeaster, in which Al Zdon will detail Edison’s football history.