Youth football team cut from league due to low enrollment

HAYWARD, Calif. (KTVU) - The parents of a youth football team in the East Bay say their league suddenly cut them. They reached out to KTVU saying that the decision affects nearly 90 children.

Despite their removal from the Delta Youth Football League, the Hayward Aggies held practice on the field of Bret Harte Middle School Thursday night.

"When I'm suiting up it makes me feel like I can do something on the field," says 13-year-old Alfonso Kelly, a member of the Aggies.

Many of these young football players come from low income, single parent homes.

The $275 needed to play each season comes from sponsors and fundraisers.

"It helps me get fit. It helps me get my grades up. I know if I don't keep my grades up, I won't be able to play," says Damian Altamirano, an 11-year-old from Oakland.

The two time all-star for the Aggies was hoping to make it a third time this season, but news came Monday that the Delta Youth Football League cut their team.

Lavell Renfro is the Aggies' head coach.

"Everything is not going to go as scripted. It's how you handle it that defines who you are."
The League Commissioner says the team has failed to meet minimum player requirements over the past five years.

This season, the failure to secure a suitable field for home games, and then the last minute cancellation of a game Saturday led to the team being cut.

"It's hard out here. Parents have to work one or two jobs to even survive here in the East Bay, so they don't even have time to bring their kids to practice. It's just hard to keep them here," says Rosa Altamirano, a parent who just took over as team president Wednesday after the team was cut from the league.

"It was devastating, frustrating and kind of sad," says Damian.

Sad but not defeated, the parents and the coaches, all volunteers, are coming together to hash out a new game plan.

The goal: to keep these youngsters safe and off the streets.

"It's more than football. It's a family. It's really hard. We're trying to stick together," says Altamirano. 
It's a lesson about how to face adversity with grit.

"There're things you can learn in winning. And there're things you learn in losing. And that's what we're about. It's so much more than football," says Head Coach Renfro.

Resilience is in the team's playbook.

"I hope we can still find teams to play and I hope we can join another league," says Damian.

The Aggies are considering asking for re-instatement, but they have already lined a game for Saturday with a team from another league.

While it won't count in the record book, they say it will count where it matters most.