Quote Originally Posted by 5280 View Post
A couple of years ago, I spent some time talking with Ed Delgado, who runs one of the high school programs here, and he pointed out that you have to be careful what you wish for, with respect to the school districts sanctioning the sport as more than a club sport.

Yes, the kids can get letters and more recognition within the school, but there are significant negatives, too. Costs go way up, because, if it's a school sport, you need to provide buses to the venues, certain levels of paid supervision, etc. Plus, the schools can place restrictions on the times and days of practices and games.....there's a whole level of regulation that you may fall under, which we currently avoid.

Under our current set-up in Colorado, the schools have virtually nothing to do with the leagues. But, they generally have provided some level of acknowledgement of accomplishments in school newspapers and assemblies.

Net-net, I think I prefer it this way.
While Mr. Delgado says be careful what you wish for, I say be careful who you believe. Ed is a great guy and runs a decent facility but he has a personal stake in the league staying private. There is a lot of money out there to be had and he wants his piece. I don't blame him. However, if the sport does not become a sanctioned sport, it will never be accepted as a viable alternative to football and baseball. Sanctioning brings credibility. There are hundreds of boys and girls out there who deserve recognition for their achievements. When you have volunteer coaches, you take what you can get. Quality suffers for want of a good coach. The sport should be sanctioned and the coaches paid. Referees are paid yet you never know what to expect, oversight is sorely lacking. Overall we have a fantastic league in Colorado but to take it to the next level, it needs to become a sanctioned sport.