The Eagles welcomed a special group of kids, coaches, and administration from the Norristown Youth Eagles football team to practice on Sunday. This team was founded in 2013 and plays in the Inter County Football League which offers flag football, tackle football, and cheerleading for children from kindergarten to sixth grade in underserved areas.
About 120 representatives from the organization showed up at the NovaCare Complex to watch their favorite athletes take the field. The team has gone through complicated times financially as the former executive board had mismanaged its funds. This left the Norristown Youth Eagles with no monetary resources to play this fall.
"We came into the season with an outstanding electrical balance that hadn't been paid for in quite some time," Norristown Youth athletic director Blayne Pierce said. "We were pretty much in the red before the season even started. Even with all the fundraisers we were doing, it just wasn't enough. We tried to reach out as much as possible. We tried to do everything we could do to make sure this season actually happened."
This is when the Philadelphia Eagles stepped in to help out the young athletes of the community. The team gave the Norristown Youth Eagles a check for $5,600 to allow the league to continue to function. This money will cover all the expenses needed for the all 175 kids to play in the 2019 season.
"They appreciate it very much. I appreciate it very much," Pierce said. "I'm a fan of programs like this and situations like this. You can't ask for anything better than this experience. They helped save our season."
At the end of Sunday's practice, cornerback Jalen Mills and defensive end Vinny Curry presented the organization with the check. They hope this will allow the team to focus on football and not worry about the financial elements.
"This experience for these kids to be around the players is something they will cherish for the rest of their lives," head football coach Daniel Butts said. "It gets them thinking, 'Maybe I could be out here one day,' and that is not a far-fetched idea. These professional players are doing the same workouts we're doing every day. The Eagles definitely blessed us."
