The sounds of the gridiron will be heard in Davidson this spring.

A junior athletic association Davidson-based minor football team is going to take the field during the months of May and June as part of the Saskatoon Six-a-Side Tackle Football League. The official kickoff for the Davidson club will occur April 26 with a football camp at the Kinsmen Field featuring on-field instruction from some members of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and Saskatoon Hilltops as well as a couple of former Saskatchewan Roughriders before a community fund-raising supper is held.

Blair Frederickson, coach of the Davidson team, said the program involves 13- and 14-year-old players in grades 7 and 8 practising in town every Monday and Wednesday beginning in early May and playing one game every Thursday night at the U of S. He said the seven-week spring season would end with a jamboree at the U of S on June 21.

“We’ve got about 10 players (signed up) from Davidson, four players from Kenaston, four players from Loreburn and we’re open to Craik,” said Frederickson, noting there is room on the roster for more kids to join and they could do so by contacting him at the school. “With minor baseball being inactive here and soccer just for young kids there wasn’t really a program for teenagers, so we’re hoping this is going to give them an outlet. The ulterior motive is I’m going to, as one of the high school coaches, use this program to build a base for future development of my high school program.”

Frederickson said the games would run with a “shoot out” format where each team gets a set number of plays to drive to the end zone from the 35-yard-line. He said if a team scores they go back to the 35-yard-line and keeps playing offence until their set number of plays is over and they switch to defence.

“Coaches are on the field,” he said. “It’s almost like a controlled scrimmage/game situation. The kids are getting game experience, but at the same time every huddle I can run out and stick my head in and pat the kids on the back and try to correct any problems that need to be straightened out.”

This is not the first time Frederickson has participated in a league like this, as the coach was also involved with a Kindersley team that played spring minor football. He said the program is great for the kids as it gives them time on the field with experienced football coaches such as Jason Low, Trevor Ouellette, Ryan Johnson and John Jamieson.

Frederickson said the April 26 football camp kickoff is going to be open to any players of all ages that want to attend. He said they’re looking at bringing some Huskies and Hilltops players to Davidson to talk to the kids and work with them before having a couple ex-Riders take part in the afternoon session.

“They would stay around and we would have a community supper to help as a fund-raiser for the football season that evening,” said Frederickson, noting it would be open to the public. “The Riders, they would each give a motivational speech at the supper and any funds that we raise would be used to provide for equipment for future seasons, uniforms and other things you would need to run a program.”