This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

FPYC Football Plans for Another Winning Season

Coach Mike Anderson and coach of the year, FPYC commissioner Barry Thompson, have a winning formula.

It's only April, but Fairfax Police Youth Club Football commissioner Barry Thompson and all of his FPYC coaches are always thinking football. Their dedication paid off last year when Thompson was honored as the Fairfax County Youth Football League commissioner of the year and 125-pound National Conference coach Mike Anderson nabbed the coach of the year award.

“It makes me think back to all of the people who contributed to it,’’ said Thompson, who is also the quarterbacks and linebackers coach at Flint Hill High School. “There’s been so many people the coaches, the parents, teachers, president of FPYC Becky McNaughton, my family, I think its great recognition for the club and I’m very proud of the postseason recognition, there are a lot of people in Fairfax City who have long connections to FPYC so I know they were proud of this season too.”

2010 marked the season that Anderson's 125-pound team went undefeated on the way to an FCYFL championship. Anderson had been coaching youth baseball for 15 years prior to coming to coach FPYC football in 2008. He became the first coach in FPYC history to win the coach of the year award.

Find out what's happening in Fairfax Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Five FPYC players were also chosen as honorable mentions for the FCYFL player of year award: Rakesh Candadai, Nick Davis, Ransome Fox, Kevin Garlepp and Tyriek Sterling.

The 2010-2011 season was the first time in more than a decade that multiple FPYC teams made the playoffs and won multiple games. Thompson accredits much of the success to the dedication his coaches make to being USA Football Certified. He requires all of his coaches to take USA Football’s certification course in the off season.

Find out what's happening in Fairfax Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The basics of football are planning, organization and communication, and the next huge thing is the coaches," Thompson said. "We spent an incredible amount of time choosing the right people to coach that are willing to learn and willing to get better at coaching."

FYPC football coaches take a biannual course that gives them the expertise to keep their players safe, and makes sure they are using the latest coaching techniques. Nearly 94 percent of youth sports coaches are not certified, which isn’t a huge problem, but when one considers the success FPYC experienced in recent years, it definitely makes a difference, said Thompson.

The football club will start holding their once-a-week free play sessions for all players at Providence Park Sunday April 24. Check their website for updates and announcements leading up to August 8, the first day they take the field.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?