The El Dorado Jr Cougars were on the brink of dissolution and were in desperate need of change. The youth football organization, founded in 1986, began to dissolve due to poor structure, lack of communication and board members retiring left and right. One coach decided to step up and revive the fading youth football program by using a variety of innovative methods, including turning to USA Football's member resources.
Scott Cambridge, current president of the El Dorado Jr Cougars, has seen rapid growth in just one year since he assumed a leadership role within the youth football club.
"I wanted to ensure there was a future for my children to participate in this league," said Cambridge, whose Cougars currently have four teams and play within the 21 member Sacramento (Calif.) Youth Football League. "Therefore, I was committed to make a change.
"With the hard work of the new board members, we managed to build a quality base during this past off-season and have exposed our youth football and cheer program all across the Sacramento area."
Cambridge began forming relationships all across the football community - from middle and high schools to the collegiate and NFL ranks. He has seen his efforts pay off in a big way.
The City of Placerville Jr Cougars Camp is an annual football camp hosted by the El Dorado Jr Cougars during the month of August. Since Cambridge took over as president, he managed to attract support from Skip Vanderbundt (ex-49ers linebacker), Lou Bronzan (UC Davis defensive coordinator) and Lou Baiz (Sacramento State defensive coordinator) to help give invaluable insight to the youth attendees during the three-day camp. Enrollment doubled from the previous year and Cambridge still isn't content with his leagues growth.
"I feel as commissioner it is our obligation to make the league better from year-to-year," said Cambridge, who has seen his league grow from 82 youngsters and 22 cheerleaders to 105 football players and 33 cheerleaders. "We have worked diligently to continue to improve. We recently obtained a seat for the annual 49ers Gatorade Training Camp that took place in August, which we attended exclusively."
Other methods Cambridge has utilized to help strengthen the game of youth football include: running football drills and conducting registration the same night, so it's fresh in the child's mind; providing weekly write-ups to the local paper to spotlight different player and cheerleader accomplishments; and creating outside-the-box fundraisers to create motivation for players to come back from year-to-year.
Perhaps the most beneficial resource Cambridge has taken advantage of is his USA Football membership.
"USA Football provides a one-stop shop for all youth football organizations' needs - commissioner resources, coaching assistance, official training, the list goes on," he said. "There are many transitional periods within a youth football organization due to coaches and administrators coming and going, but USA Football provides a certain sense of stability and consistency of resources to ease the transition.
"One of the things I enjoy the most about my USA Football membership is the open-ended communication with my Regional Manager. As commissioner, it is very important to know when critical events within USA Football are being announced so I can pass the information along to my parents, coaches and volunteers.
Cambridge also emphasizes the importance of his coaches reaching their coaching potential.
"I have also encouraged our coaches to take advantage of the extensive Drills Library, the Film Room and the recent USA Football coaching clinics that are offered locally around the country," he said. "For many of our coaches, this is their first year and the coaching schools offered first-hand sessions and solutions for coaching techniques to help them understand the right way to perform drills or offensive/defensive formations."
Everyone within the El Dorado organization has seen the dramatic improvement due to the hope and determination of its leaders.
"Scott Cambridge and everyone involved have put a tremendous amount of time and effort into the league this year to ensure that this experience is one that everyone can benefit from as well as grow with," said Joe Carlisle, coach of the El Dorado Jr. PeeWees (9-10 year olds). "I have seen first-hand the difference Scott has made to ensure a fun environment for the league, parents and players for years to come."
Now that Cambridge is on the verge of solidifying his league's roots, he makes a concerted effort to reach out to those leagues that might not be so fortunate. Many grassroots organizations need equipment to bring youth football to a new community, but just don't have the resources to do so. The Jr Cougars make it a priority to reach out to the surrounding communities in order to help keep youth football alive.
"We just recently performed inventory and found that we had hip pads, thigh pads, tailbone pads, blocking dummies, practice pants, practice jerseys and equipment bags," Cambridge said. "So we decided to seek out a new football community and offered our excess gear, which they accepted with open arms."
Not only does Cambridge donate equipment to developing leagues, he also offers words of wisdom to all of the grassroots youth football leagues that are willing to listen.
"Just try and determine what doesn't work and don't repeat it," he said. "Always try and leverage other leagues and resources and be innovative. Start planning for next year at the end of this year, and remember, do whatever you can to keep the sport alive."
