Football participation continues to go down

[Streak One]

Below are the numbers for football participation in the state:

2007: 107,916
2009: 104,224
2011: 103,921
2012: 103,088
2013: 102,505
2014: 103,464
2015: 103,725
2016: 100,205
2017: 97,079
2018: 94,286

8-player numbers have gone from 1,784 to 2,088 over the same period

https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.n...PR-2_2018_CIF_Participation_Census_8.1.18.pdf

 

[remc]

Below are the numbers for football participation in the state:

2007: 107,916
2009: 104,224
2011: 103,921
2012: 103,088
2013: 102,505
2014: 103,464
2015: 103,725
2016: 100,205
2017: 97,079
2018: 94,286

8-player numbers have gone from 1,784 to 2,088 over the same period

https://d2o2figo6ddd0g.cloudfront.n...PR-2_2018_CIF_Participation_Census_8.1.18.pdf

Hate to say it, but it’s a trend that will continue in the downward direction for the foreseeable future.Safety improvements (better equipment , safer techniques in tackling) need to be publicized as vigorously as the CTE statistics. The game we love is in peril right now

 

[rocknrolus 12]

I would like to know how successful programs comparable to less successful programs and participation. I am a high school football fanatic. I go to as many games as I can. And in my opinion the more successful programs are still strong in participation.

 

[joebl]

Hate to say it, but it’s a trend that will continue in the downward direction for the foreseeable future.Safety improvements (better equipment , safer techniques in tackling) need to be publicized as vigorously as the CTE statistics. The game we love is in peril right now

I think the reality is that Football is safer than it has ever been in the modern era. But at the same time, we do not know enough about CTE and if/how to prevent it and until there is a lot more known, Football will continue to decline nationally. As for CA, I think the changing demographics combined with CTE is causing the football participation numbers to go down more than in most other states.

 

[mistark]

Numbers in participation are down for all youth sports. I read a couple weeks back that soccer has had the highest drop off of all sports (over 12% in 3 years and 2.3 million over that time).

School districts and admins that care about having great overall schools probably have higher numbers in football now than ever before.
I know at Inderkum we have 150-175 for 3 programs, we have never had higher participation than we have had in the last 3 years. Our district is actually doing multiple football info nights to inform parents on the rules and what N.U.S.D. is doing to make this sport the safest possible.
At Inderkum we TEACH life skills, we TEACH hard work and accountability through football. Scholarships is a by-product of who we are as a program and the hard work our kids put in the classroom and weight room.
Program like DLS, Folsom, Oakdale, Del Oro, Manteca, Oakridge, Sheldon, Placer, Antelope... and many others are all the same.

IMO, parents are taking their kids away from the schools/districts that have a constant revolving door of head coaches and have a track record of Admin not caring about football and other programs. Parents and kids want to be around others with similar priorities and like thinking. IMO, this will only get stronger and create a bigger gap but that is a problem for the ones that don't care.

 

[northbayfb]

Certainly CTE contributes to that decline but so does specialization amongst sports. This is the “everyone gets a medal” generation and the number of kids that quit when they don’t start their Junior year has increased in my experience.

 

[cashisking18]

Numbers in participation are down for all youth sports. I read a couple weeks back that soccer has had the highest drop off of all sports (over 12% in 3 years and 2.3 million over that time).

School districts and admins that care about having great overall schools probably have higher numbers in football now than ever before.
I know at Inderkum we have 150-175 for 3 programs, we have never had higher participation than we have had in the last 3 years. Our district is actually doing multiple football info nights to inform parents on the rules and what N.U.S.D. is doing to make this sport the safest possible.
At Inderkum we TEACH life skills, we TEACH hard work and accountability through football. Scholarships is a by-product of who we are as a program and the hard work our kids put in the classroom and weight room.
Program like DLS, Folsom, Oakdale, Del Oro, Manteca, Oakridge, Sheldon, Placer, Antelope... and many others are all the same.

IMO, parents are taking their kids away from the schools/districts that have a constant revolving door of head coaches and have a track record of Admin not caring about football and other programs. Parents and kids want to be around others with similar priorities and like thinking. IMO, this will only get stronger and create a bigger gap but that is a problem for the ones that don't care.

Good post.

Parents know if they've got a kid who can play and has a shot at the next level. They also know exactly where to send their kid in order to get them the BEST CHANCE to be seen to get there. You listed those programs above. God stuff.

 

[John Mellencamp]

Its not just at the high school level unfortunately. My oldest son is a junior in high school and his last year in the Jr program there was about a 100 kids across the 4 teams (8u, 10u, 12u, 14u). This year my younger son started playing in the Jr program and that number is down to about 60. There's actually more cheerleaders in the program than football players.

 

[jusfootball]

Numbers in participation are down for all youth sports. I read a couple weeks back that soccer has had the highest drop off of all sports (over 12% in 3 years and 2.3 million over that time).

School districts and admins that care about having great overall schools probably have higher numbers in football now than ever before.
I know at Inderkum we have 150-175 for 3 programs, we have never had higher participation than we have had in the last 3 years. Our district is actually doing multiple football info nights to inform parents on the rules and what N.U.S.D. is doing to make this sport the safest possible.
At Inderkum we TEACH life skills, we TEACH hard work and accountability through football. Scholarships is a by-product of who we are as a program and the hard work our kids put in the classroom and weight room.
Program like DLS, Folsom, Oakdale, Del Oro, Manteca, Oakridge, Sheldon, Placer, Antelope... and many others are all the same.

IMO, parents are taking their kids away from the schools/districts that have a constant revolving door of head coaches and have a track record of Admin not caring about football and other programs. Parents and kids want to be around others with similar priorities and like thinking. IMO, this will only get stronger and create a bigger gap but that is a problem for the ones that don't care.

There it is there mistark. Excellent take.

 

[ararar]

From an post in the L A times it seems the CIF expects a reversal soon:

CIF Executive Director Roger Blake said he believes the decline could be coming to an end based on improvement in youth football numbers.

“I think we’ve declined about three percent each year,” he said. “It’s been a steady decline but reflects what we anticipated based on youth sports numbers. I anticipate the decline will slowly stop.”

 

[coachlittle]

Numbers in participation are down for all youth sports. I read a couple weeks back that soccer has had the highest drop off of all sports (over 12% in 3 years and 2.3 million over that time).

School districts and admins that care about having great overall schools probably have higher numbers in football now than ever before.
I know at Inderkum we have 150-175 for 3 programs, we have never had higher participation than we have had in the last 3 years. Our district is actually doing multiple football info nights to inform parents on the rules and what N.U.S.D. is doing to make this sport the safest possible.
At Inderkum we TEACH life skills, we TEACH hard work and accountability through football. Scholarships is a by-product of who we are as a program and the hard work our kids put in the classroom and weight room.
Program like DLS, Folsom, Oakdale, Del Oro, Manteca, Oakridge, Sheldon, Placer, Antelope... and many others are all the same.

IMO, parents are taking their kids away from the schools/districts that have a constant revolving door of head coaches and have a track record of Admin not caring about football and other programs. Parents and kids want to be around others with similar priorities and like thinking. IMO, this will only get stronger and create a bigger gap but that is a problem for the ones that don't care.

 

[rocknrolus 12]

Numbers in participation are down for all youth sports. I read a couple weeks back that soccer has had the highest drop off of all sports (over 12% in 3 years and 2.3 million over that time).

School districts and admins that care about having great overall schools probably have higher numbers in football now than ever before.
I know at Inderkum we have 150-175 for 3 programs, we have never had higher participation than we have had in the last 3 years. Our district is actually doing multiple football info nights to inform parents on the rules and what N.U.S.D. is doing to make this sport the safest possible.
At Inderkum we TEACH life skills, we TEACH hard work and accountability through football. Scholarships is a by-product of who we are as a program and the hard work our kids put in the classroom and weight room.
Program like DLS, Folsom, Oakdale, Del Oro, Manteca, Oakridge, Sheldon, Placer, Antelope... and many others are all the same.

IMO, parents are taking their kids away from the schools/districts that have a constant revolving door of head coaches and have a track record of Admin not caring about football and other programs. Parents and kids want to be around others with similar priorities and like thinking. IMO, this will only get stronger and create a bigger gap but that is a problem for the ones that don't care.

I am a little slow on the pick up coach. Great program you have. And that 83% winning record says much about your program. It took me awhile to figure out who you were.

 

[mistark]

No prob what so ever. Oakdale is a program and at the top of this list for sure. We love competing againts you guys. You always get your money worth when you go to an Indy vs Oakdale game!

 

[RidgeRider]

Numbers in participation are down for all youth sports. I read a couple weeks back that soccer has had the highest drop off of all sports (over 12% in 3 years and 2.3 million over that time).

School districts and admins that care about having great overall schools probably have higher numbers in football now than ever before.
I know at Inderkum we have 150-175 for 3 programs, we have never had higher participation than we have had in the last 3 years. Our district is actually doing multiple football info nights to inform parents on the rules and what N.U.S.D. is doing to make this sport the safest possible.
At Inderkum we TEACH life skills, we TEACH hard work and accountability through football. Scholarships is a by-product of who we are as a program and the hard work our kids put in the classroom and weight room.
Program like DLS, Folsom, Oakdale, Del Oro, Manteca, Oakridge, Sheldon, Placer, Antelope... and many others are all the same.

IMO, parents are taking their kids away from the schools/districts that have a constant revolving door of head coaches and have a track record of Admin not caring about football and other programs. Parents and kids want to be around others with similar priorities and like thinking. IMO, this will only get stronger and create a bigger gap but that is a problem for the ones that don't care.

100% agree with all you wrote, Coach. That’s why you always have a very good team cause you all focus on the student athlete and preparing them to be men of character.

 

[ILOVETROJANFOOTBALL]

I think the reality is that Football is safer than it has ever been in the modern era. But at the same time, we do not know enough about CTE and if/how to prevent it and until there is a lot more known, Football will continue to decline nationally. As for CA, I think the changing demographics combined with CTE is causing the football participation numbers to go down more than in most other states.

Agreed. I frankly see more kids getting injured (particularly head injuries) in lacrosse and rugby. Yet these are considered the "safer" sports. No sport is going to be perfectly safe when your flying around with a bunch of big bodies doing the same thing.

 

[salgovernaleisaturtle]

in related news:

 

[jusfootball]

I think the reality is that Football is safer than it has ever been in the modern era. But at the same time, we do not know enough about CTE and if/how to prevent it and until there is a lot more known, Football will continue to decline nationally. As for CA, I think the changing demographics combined with CTE is causing the football participation numbers to go down more than in most other states.

In 2015, 2,333 teens in the United States ages 16–19 were killed and 235,845 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor vehicle crashes. That's 6 deaths every day and an additional 20,000 ER visits a month.

 

[colhenrylives]

Anecdotal evidence along the Peninsula continues to suggest that public school roster sizes are down, much like 2017. Lots of reasons:

• Demographics
• Private/parochial lure
• Parental concerns
• Other sports
• Growing video game culture
• Lack of administrative interest
• Lack of full-time, qualified teacher/coaches

 

[1315]

@17- auto accident data has no correlation to CTE via football, statistically. Tragic, yes. Rugby teaches much different tackling technique as there are no “yards to gain” rewards.

The NFL just banned 10 helmet models with poor performance on testing. It recently settled a class-action $1 Billion to retired players in measured settlements for ALS, Alzheimer’s, Dementia and other cognitive disorders. This is the NFL!!

Thinking your player (participating in youth or HS FB) is going to be protected by repeated sub-concussive events ( the PRIMARY cause of CTE, NOT concussions) is hopeful at this point.

Youth football should suffer, if more parents would wise up. (Frankly, I’ve witnessed players with zero youth football experience, outperform peers who played since they were 8, then go on to All-League performers in one of the toughest NorCal leagues.) The greatest at-risk brain is the developing (adolescent) one. Flag football will grow, and the Vicis helmet ($1,500!) will become standard just like seatbelts and airbags have.

This means HS football will dwindle, in part, due to the cost of insurance, litigation from sub-optimal headgear and the trickle down effect of the NFL litigation, and colhenry’s listed factors.

 

[jusfootball]

@17- auto accident data has no correlation to CTE via football, statistically. Tragic, yes. Rugby teaches much different tackling technique as there are no “yards to gain” rewards.

The NFL just banned 10 helmet models with poor performance on testing. It recently settled a class-action $1 Billion to retired players in measured settlements for ALS, Alzheimer’s, Dementia and other cognitive disorders. This is the NFL!!

Thinking your player (participating in youth or HS FB) is going to be protected by repeated sub-concussive events ( the PRIMARY cause of CTE, NOT concussions) is hopeful at this point.

Youth football should suffer, if more parents would wise up. (Frankly, I’ve witnessed players with zero youth football experience, outperform peers who played since they were 8, then go on to All-League performers in one of the toughest NorCal leagues.) The greatest at-risk brain is the developing (adolescent) one. Flag football will grow, and the Vicis helmet ($1,500!) will become standard just like seatbelts and airbags have.

This means HS football will dwindle, in part, due to the cost of insurance, litigation from sub-optimal headgear and the trickle down effect of the NFL litigation, and colhenry’s listed factors.

I wasn't trying to provide a correlation between teen auto accident data and "CTE". I was pointing out that we know for certain that 6 teens are killed driving every day and 100 every day are injured enough to require an emergency room visit. Why would any parent let their teen drive a vehicle? Or skateboard, box, wrestle, baseball, rock climb, play soccer, play rugby? You posting your opinion in an authoritative manner while slyly promoting your sport of choice rings hollow. There have been significant high school football rule changes and new approaches to practice and techniques.

 

[EastBayDad]

i dont think kids are not playing because of concussion/fear of CTE

Kids are growing up softer now more so than ever and it isnt their fault, it is on the parents.
You also see the youth football leagues turning to garbage/folding up... some shady adults involved sometimes and money goes missing, or they play daddy ball, or they try to live vicariously through the kids and yell and scream and just in general make it a terrible experience so kids end up quitting before they make it to high school.

Football has also evolved in the area to a year round sport. At the end of the day what sounds more appealing to a kid? Spending all summer in an air conditioned house playing video games, or lifting weights and running gassers all day in the 90+ degree heat?

Hearing chatter of a LOT of teams in the bay area cancelling either their Frosh or JV teams due to low numbers

 

[colhenrylives]

Very strong point about teens playing video games vs. playing football. The two diametrically opposite endeavors aren't necessarily mutually exclusive but it's getting close.

 

[SpeedCity51]

Agreed. I frankly see more kids getting injured (particularly head injuries) in lacrosse and rugby. Yet these are considered the "safer" sports. No sport is going to be perfectly safe when your flying around with a bunch of big bodies doing the same thing.

Then what you are seeing is an anomaly. Kids get hurt a lot in lacrosse, but not as much as they do in football. There are stats, feel free to look them up.

 

[1315]

I wasn't trying to provide a correlation between teen auto accident data and "CTE". I was pointing out that we know for certain that 6 teens are killed driving every day and 100 every day are injured enough to require an emergency room visit. Why would any parent let their teen drive a vehicle? Or skateboard, box, wrestle, baseball, rock climb, play soccer, play rugby? You posting your opinion in an authoritative manner while slyly promoting your sport of choice rings hollow. There have been significant high school football rule changes and new approaches to practice and techniques.

I’m unsure how the post “promotes my sport of choice.” MY sport? I see, jusfootball has been here under another handle.

Ironically, the three males in our family have all suffered concussions in two OTHER sports than FB, thus, there goes any bias you insinuate.

A cursory analysis of my post has more to do with youth football and sub-concussive events.