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Football League For Adults Forming

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By Eric Horchy | The Suncoast News

Published: July 7, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY -- When the final whistle blows after a high school football player's last snap under the Friday night lights, it typically sounds an abrupt end to the competitive road.

Barring the prospect of college ball, full-contact football is not nearly as conducive to adult-league play in comparison to other sports like baseball, softball or basketball.

John Kary, a longtime youth league coach, is looking to soon change that by giving these athletes a second chance.

The coach of the New Port Richey Buccaneers of the Pasco Police Athletic League for the past 13 years, Kary is in the midst of creating the Second Chance Football League – an 8-on-8 full contact organization for adults 18 and up.

The area is thriving more than ever with potential players for such a league, as evidenced by West Pasco's recent successes at the high school level, Kary believes.

"I've seen so many kids around here that I've coached and then went on to play in high school that I thought were very good athletes, but aren't really getting looked at to go into college," Kary said. That is one of his motivations behind getting an adult league in the area.

He also feels it can serve the purpose of keeping these young men positively active and out of trouble.

"I preach to my youth team about doing the right thing, taking responsibility for your own actions and staying away from drugs," he said. "It doesn't change when they get into their early 20s. In fact, it probably even gets worse."

Kary is looking to begin the 8-man league in January 2009 with six teams and maximum roster sizes of 25 players. Games are played on a field that is 40 yards wide by 80 yards long, with two 10-yard end zones.

While several tactical differences to standard football are obvious with fewer players fielded, Kary chose to begin as an 8-man outfit as opposed to, say, a 6-man league because it has a more structured nature.

Kary previously coached a six-man team in a St. Petersburg-based league and said that since every player on the field is eligible, games often became little more than chaotic sandlot contests.

In contrast, 8-man football requires three ineligible interior linemen at all times.

Kary said he has three teams showing strong interest in participating, one of which is his New Port Richey Sharks squad. Now he is hoping to lock up team commitments in Hernando, East Pasco and Lutz.

Along with seeking team committals and the individuals dedicated to organize and coach, Kary is now in the process of locking up an insurance plan willing to cover the start-up league.

Because of the unknown price tag for coverage there is no registration fee designated as of yet, though he said he is hoping to keep it around $1,500 per team.

Gaining local sponsorships can play a large part in staying around that target price range, Kary said.

The month of November has already been designated for individual team tryouts, with practices beginning in the first weeks of December.

Kary said he wants to keep the league structured and consistent in regards to tryout and practice times to keep the playing field as level as possible.

Though starting a league is not an easy endeavor, Kary is optimistic.

In fact, he has experience creating successful ventures. Kary was one of two coaches to help form the annual PPAL Thanksgiving Invitational that has turned into a huge fundraiser for the New Port Richey Buccaneers and draws teams from all of the country.

"I've been thinking about this for a long time," he said of the adult league project. "If we can do this, I'd even maybe like to go to 11-on-11 in the future."

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