Colonial Heights Recreation and Parks Football located in Colonial Heights, Va. has earned Gold Level status through USA Football’s League Excellence Program for the 2022 season.  

USA Football’s League Excellence Program is a way for youth football organizations to earn recognition for a commitment to raise operational standards and provide a great environment for athletes and their families. 

Colonial Heights Recreation and Parks Football offers non-contact flag football, limited contact TackleBar, and Rookie Tackle, providing young athletes the opportunity to develop age-appropriate skills as they acclimate to the sport. The league doesn’t keep score during games or track standings throughout the season.  

“Our league is a true recreational league, where players pay a minimal fee to play and no child is turned away,” said Colonial Heights Recreation Program Specialist Roger Underhill. “As a result of the partnership with the local middle and high school football coaching staff, the players are getting the best training with coaches they see just about every day!” 

The program takes a unique approach to coaching, which provides excellent opportunities for young athletes to develop and stay in the game. Coaches from Colonial Heights Middle School and Colonial Heights High School act as coaching leads while volunteer parent coaches work under their leadership as they learn USA Football’s training methods and the Football Development Model (FDM).  

“We are an economically distressed community and our players have needs that are best addressed in the recreational team sports environment,” said Underhill. “In the school partnership, our coaches have a vested interest in the success, both on the field and off the field, of the players that they are working with.” 

Underhill is grateful for the partnership his league has with the local schools, and the support their coaches offer.  

“Our lead coaches, Brandon Greenwood and Justin Keeler, have worked tirelessly for the last year in making this program the success that it is,” Underhill explained. “There are not many coaches that exhibit their passion for both youth and football!” 

When asked about the best aspect of USA Football’s League Excellence Program, Underhill said, “Required coach training and certification! The training modules produced by USA Football are second to none and have greatly increased our coaches’ engagement and understanding of modern football.”