08/14/2026
Good Evening, Pirate Nation! 💜🏴☠️
Next Thursday will be the FINAL DAY to sign up for Fruitdale Youth Football and Cheer.
As of today, we still do not have enough players to field full teams for our Tiny Mites, Midgets, or Juniors. After sign-ups and practice next Thursday, we will assess our numbers and make the difficult decision of whether we are able to move forward with the season or if we will have to cancel football for this year.
We sincerely hope it does not come to that.
Our youth football and cheer program has always been about so much more than wins and losses. It is about watching our young Pirates learn, grow, build friendships, and develop a love for their school and community. One of the greatest rewards for those of us involved in this program is watching kids who grew up playing and cheering with Fruitdale Youth take the field on Friday nights as Fruitdale Pirates.
That sense of pride is something that is hard to put into words.
What makes this situation especially difficult is thinking about the children who have already signed up and have been showing up to practice every day. They are working hard, learning, and looking forward to their season. The thought of having to tell those kids that they will not get the opportunity to play this year is heartbreaking.
Pirate Nation, we need your help.
Please reach out to your friends, family members, neighbors, classmates, and anyone you know who has a child who may be interested in playing football. Encourage them to come out before the deadline and give it a try. Every player matters right now, and a few more kids could make the difference in whether these teams are able to have a season.
We also want every family to know that we do not want finances or transportation to keep ANY child from being a part of this program.
If registration fees or other costs are keeping you from signing your child up, please come talk to us. We will do everything we can to find sponsors, raise money, or work together as a community to help cover the fees for children who need assistance. Please do not let the cost be the reason your child doesn’t get the opportunity to play or cheer.
The same goes for transportation. If getting your child to and from practice is a problem, let us know. We have coaches, board members, parents, and a community that are willing to work together to help. We would much rather find a solution than have a child sitting at home who wants to be on that field.
If your child wants to be a Pirate, bring them out. We will do everything within our power to help remove the obstacles and give them that opportunity.
We also want everyone to know about a change for Meet the Pirates tomorrow night. Because our football rosters are not yet finalized, the individual football teams will not be called down separately.
Our cheerleaders will be called down to perform the cheers they have been working hard on. Once they finish, Mrs. Barnes will call all of our youth football players down together as one group to be recognized alongside our cheerleaders.
Thank you to every parent, coach, volunteer, supporter, football player, and cheerleader who continues to support this program.
We want nothing more than to see these kids have the season they have been working for. This program belongs to our children and our community, and right now we need Pirate Nation to come together for them.
Next Thursday is the final day to sign up. Please help us spread the word, bring these kids out, and let’s make sure our Pirates have a season! 💜🏴☠️
GO PIRATES!
