BETHEL — Bethel is on its way to having its first football team, and it’s getting a little help from the Seattle Seahawks.
All Bethel Regional High School needs is funding, equipment, players, a coach and approval from the state, Bethel radio station KYUK reported.
But administrators at the school in this largely Yup’ik Eskimo hub community in southwest Alaska are confident the Warriors will field a team next year.
Bethel Regional High School Assistant Principal and athletic director Dr. Doug Boyer started the plan in motion in August.
The plan, he said, is to get approval from the state to have a football team, find a conference in the Anchorage area, raise money, order equipment, hire a coach and purchase equipment.
Those plans are getting a boost from the closest NFL team.
“The Seattle Seahawks have said that they will send their old tackling dummies, their old tackling, blocking sleds as long as we pay for them to be barged up in the summertime,” Boyer said.
The school anticipates it will cost about $41,000 to buy shoulder pads, helmets and uniforms for 50 players.
The Seahawks Foundation has agreed to pay part of that cost, and Boyer anticipates the other half will come from fundraisers and donations.
If everything goes as planned, the Warriors’ first game would be played at the end of next July, likely in the Anchorage area. Games will be scheduled against junior varsity squads as Bethel players improve their skills, and they might start a flag football team at Bethel’s middle school to start feeding the high school program.
The possibility of having a football team is creating a buzz in Bethel.
“We have had a ton of students who’ve come to me this year and say, ‘I want to play football. I think this is great. I’m excited,’” Boyer said. “The funny thing is, we’ve even had some seniors saying, ‘Is there any way I can do a fifth year of high school to play?’ We’ve told them no, obviously, but a lot of students, males and females, have been really excited for the opportunity to try this new activity at BRHS.”
