Watch above: Interest in six-man football in Saskatoon has sky-rocketed in the past five years. Jack Haskins looks at what’s driving its popularity.
SASKATOON – Picture this: One football field, hosting six games being played simultaneously by 12 different teams. It’s quite the spectacle.
Over 2000 players, coaches, and parents will pass through the gates at the old Gordie Howe Bowl to participate in what would appear to be a special one time event. But it’s not just a one time event. This is just a regular Thursday night of six-man football at SMF Field.
The popularity of six-man football in Saskatoon has exploded in recent years. In 2009, roughly 150 kids enrolled in Saskatoon’s six man football league. This year over 700 players signed up.
Brian Guebert, the commissioner of Saskatoon Minor Football, is ecstatic with the rapid expansion of the six-man game in the Bridge City. Guebert believes the skills he himself learned while playing six-man football as a kid helped give him the tools that ultimately led him to the CFL.
“The fact that I learned how to catch a football, and run routes, snap, and even kick a football, those skills served me even as a CFL player,” said Guebert.
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The six-man game is ideal for youngsters looking to try out football for the first time. The format allows kids an opportunity to play multiple positions, and receive plenty of hands on instruction, as teams usually only consist of 20 players.
With the new turf in place at SMF field, and the support of hundreds of volunteers, Guebert is confident that six-man football is a sport on the rise in Saskatoon.
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