ESTEVAN — Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football (EMF) has found a new league to compete in for the 2023 season.
The organization has announced that it will leave the Moose Jaw Minor Football League and join the Parkland League, which has teams in Moosomin, Esterhazy, Fort Qu'Appelle and Melville.
EMF president Kevin Mortenson said the Estevan Power Dodge U10 Cudas will likely be involved in jamboree-style games. He still has to talk to the other communities and decide the opportunities that will exist for the U10s.
If they can't reach a solution, Mortenson said they would follow what happens at the U10 level in Brandon, Man., when they draw names out of a hat and play mini games, with each team having six players on the field at once.
"They would have new teammates every game, and they practise together during the week," said Mortenson.
The Cudas are also looking for a new head coach for this season, he said. Anyone who is interested can call Mortenson at 306-421-3377.
The Estevan Coldwell Banker Choice Real Estate U12 Chargers, who won the Moose Jaw league title in 2021 and reached the final last year, will look to continue their success in the new league. Teams have nine players on the field at once for U12.
Mortenson said there hasn't been a championship in the Parkland league at the U12 and U14 levels, but they want to have a conference call to decide how they would structure a playoff and a title game.
As for the Estevan Lions Club U14 Oilers, they will have nine players on the field for games instead of the 12 they had to have in the Moose Jaw circuit.
Mortenson said the shift to nine-player football was a big factor in making the move.
"This will really help. Last year towards the end of the season, they were sitting around 18 active players, and that's not including the ones that were injured," said Mortenson.
Estevan was the only team that wanted to have nine-player football for the U14 division, he said, but the other teams said no because they had a sufficient talent pool.
Matt Schell will return as the head coach of the Chargers and Paul Duncan will continue to guide the Oilers.
As for the Estevan U18 Kinette Club Viragos, they'll continue to play in the Prairie Girls Football League. Saskatoon has joined the league for this season. Regina, Melville, Moosomin and Yorkton also have squads.
"We've had a pretty successful spring recruiting new players," said Mortenson.
Practices will start around Aug. 15, and the regular season is slated to begin during the Labour Day long weekend.
The decision by the EMF will not affect the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs football team, which will continue to play in the Moose Jaw High School Football League. Estevan is in with Weyburn, Yorkton, Swift Current and three teams from Moose Jaw. But Estevan won't be in 12-player football until the high school level.
Meanwhile, three local football teams have been playing some spring football. The U12 and U14 teams have combined into one, a U18 male team named the Boltz has been formed and the U18 Viragos are playing, too.
Each team was in Moosomin for exhibition games against the Generals on Sunday.
The three Estevan spring teams will host Moosomin next Sunday at the Dr. Dean Chow Field, with the U14 team at 11 a.m., the Viragos at 1 p.m. and the Boltz at 3 p.m.
Those three games will wrap up the spring season.
