Community Corner

Howell Youth Football And Cheer Clubs Forging Pact

Pop Warner and American Youth Football working on deal to share football fields

They are two among the many lessons we all learned in kindergarten: Play nice with others. And share.

That’s what the township’s two major football and cheer organizations are trying to relearn as the leaders of Howell Pop Warner and American Youth Football are working out a deal to share the Old Tavern Road football fields between the two clubs for the upcoming season and beyond.

The Howell Lions Pop Warner organization previously had an exclusive lease with the township to use the township-owned fields in exchange for upkeep, Mayor William Gotto said.

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That worked for quite a long time, because Pop Warner was the only game in town. But a rift within the organization’s ranks caused numerous members all around the Shore Area to migrate to AYF, forming a whole new league and taking hundreds of players with them. About 300 Howell kids are on AYF’s rosters.

“The kids need a field to play on,’’ said Michael Christie, president of Howell AYF. “It’s time they played at home again.’’

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All of AYF’s games last season were “away’’ games, because they had no field in town, Christie said. And Pop Warner, the group most of AYF’s players and coaches split from, held the lease to the municipal fields.

The two organizations tried but failed last year to come up with an amicable way to split time on the fields.

Not this year.

Mayor Gotto, whose daughter is a former two-time national Pop Warner champion, told both organizations to sit down and hammer out a deal to share the fields.

“I can’t tell Howell people they can’t use township fields,’’ Gotto said.

The two presidents, both new leaders of their respective organizations, seem keen on the idea of working out a deal beneficial to both sides.

Ira Fortgang, newly installed president of Howell Pop Warner, said he’s committed to working out a deal for a new, joint lease between the two organizations.

“At the end of the day, we’re all Howell,’’ Fortgang said. “It says Howell across both our jerseys. I don’t see any way this doesn’t work out.’’

Fortgang and Christie have ongoing discussions, and Christie says he’s hopeful a pact can be reached before the start of the season, which is edging nearer.

“Things are starting to come together,’’ he said.


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