AMICC winter sports a growing success
It is Jan. 1, 2007, and the fields at the Anna Maria Island Community Center (AMICC) are quiet, as they have been for so many years before. The game of football had not graced the Island since the day of the youth tackle football team, the Dolphins.
With the closets at the Community Center filled with old Dolphin jerseys and footballs that were only used for pick-up games and youth camps, the athletic director at the time had a vision. That vision was youth flag football at AMICC.
With the success of youth soccer in the fall, parents and kids were looking for an organized sport to play on the Island once they returned from winter break. The Center’s athletic director also knew that the National Football League (NFL) could create the one-two punch necessary to make winter sports at the Community Center a huge success.
With the help of the assistant athletic director, as well as the support of Center management, organized winter sports at AMICC became a reality. Through the NFL flag football program, a program of Play 60, boys and girls of all ages were able to play the sport on the Island with the leadership of volunteer coaches.
But that is not where this success story ends. Parent and other adults saw how much fun the kids were having and wanted to join in on the fun. By the winter of 2010, the Center created a league just for the big kids. The co-ed league started with four teams, allowing 28 adults to hit the gridiron, just like the little kids, with one simple rule: a female player must be one of the five players on the field for a team.
The first adult flag football Super Bowl ended in a tie after several overtime possessions by both teams. This show of sportsmanship and friendship would not repeat itself after several subsequent seasons of competitive recreational play.
After its start as a dream, youth flag football grew to 15 teams and over 100 players in 2010 to what it is today with 23 teams and nearly 170 youth players. The adult league has grown leaps and bounds as well. This season, 14 teams are playing adult flag football with roughly 100 participants.
The popularity of the Center’s adult flag football league draws individuals from as far as Parrish and has resulted in both winter and summer leagues. During the winter, the adults now have two leagues from which to choose: Wednesday nights, 18 years, and Thursday nights, 30 years and over league.
It became clear to the Center that the adults love friendly competition and love playing sports. For some, flag football was not their cup of tea. For others, it just was not enough. In 2014, adult co-ed volleyball became the next hot winter activity at the Center, after finding success in other seasons.
With play on Tuesday nights, people playing flag football could also take the volleyball court. With consistent growth, winter volleyball at AMICC started with three teams and now sees play between four teams and 16 players for four-on-four action once a week.
Sports at the Community Center would not be possible without the players, volunteer youth coaches and business sponsors. Each year, the Center’s athletic department searches for parents and other adults that are willing to be positive role models and instructors for the youth teams, but typically there are teams that lack that special individual. The athletic director and the assistant athletic director always step in to fill the gap.
The business sponsorships help the Center offset the cost of the running the programs, keeping the registration fees affordable and allowing kids that could not otherwise afford to play suit up with their friends and gain the important life on a team. The business sponsors benefit from this win-win opportunity as their business becomes a community partner and finds their logo proudly displayed at the Community Center.
The success that the Center has had over the past eight years with its winter sports program is a showing of the commitment by AMICC to provide desired programming and the hard work of the organization’s staff, stepping in to coach when needed in addition to their regular duties. Clearly, in addition to the work of the Center, the programs’ success would not have been possible without the support of the community, the families and friends, the players and the local businesses. For more information about the Community Center’s sports programs and sponsorship opportunities, contact Athletic Director Matt Ray at 941/778-1586 or Matt@myamicc.com.
