Football is back, and this season, so are the Journey House Packers.
"We've been down a little over two years due to the pandemic, but we are back and ready to roll," says Martin Wedle, football coach at Journey House.
For 18 seasons, Coach Weddle has been making sure kids in Milwaukee get a chance to play.
"Our boys and girls need opportunities and exposure to sports, academics, and cultural events just like everyone else," says Weddle.
This week, that opportunity is a free football camp in preparation for the upcoming league.
"Two-point stance, three-point stance, firing off the ball, breakdown position, blocking and tackling. Very fundamental," says Weddle. "Our first official practice is Monday, Aug. 1. Our program is a part of the All-American Youth Football League, it's a statewide league."
While you may have missed out on the free camp, you haven't missed out on signing up to play for the Journey House Packers.
"We have a fifth and sixth-grade team and then we have a seventh and eighth-grade combined team. So anyone interested in playing anyone, you can go to www.journeyhouse.org."
But it's not all about football the game is just a tool. The real mission behind Journey House is to place and keep the next generation on the right track.
"So some kids may come out here and really may not want to play, as I didn't when I started. But my dad encouraged me, he pushed me, and the rest is history. I've been coaching at Journey House for nearly two decades and played high school and college so you never know. It's about development and getting something out of these young people that they may not see or know that they have within them," says Weddle.
When you play for change, we all win.
