Football Players Drive Revitalization

Their goal is to score touchdowns, but a youth athletic league is scoring points in revitalization.  News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren reports as young football players take over a once abandoned park in north Tulsa, neighbors say their community has come back to life.

As teams of young football star hopefuls kick off a new season, they're also kicking off a new era for their new practice field, BC Franklin Park in north Tulsa.

"You will see over 200 kids, not including the parents who come along to help coach," said Kevin Ross.

The Tulsa Youth Athletic Association, or TYAA, recently formed a partnership with Tulsa Parks to run their organization out of Franklin Park.  Until now the park was closed.

"Nobody want to stay next to a closed school or a closed park with no activity and leave room for negative things to happen," said Kevin Ross.

Neighbors like Kevin Ross say these kids are breathing new life into their neighborhood and bringing positive change for the neighborhood kids.

"You know, we always hear on the news about youth always in trouble or there's always some fighting or shooting. But, here it is a positive thing that's happening," said Kevin Ross.

The association was actually forced to find a new place to play and they chose this area of town because now many of their players are practicing in what's basically their own backyard.

"Oh, we love it! We're more out north and we're closer to feeder schools like Booker T and KIPP and where a lot of our kids go to school," TYAA Athletic Director Curtice Williams.

But, getting here, financially, hasn't been easy. 

TYAA had to start from scratch.  But, with help from volunteers and a lot of hard work, they continue to give these kids an opportunity score a touchdown and a brighter future.

"And, hopefully something just to keep them from, you know, just running around on the streets, doing nothing," said TYAA Athletic Director Curtice Williams.

The football teams are for first through sixth graders who live in north Tulsa.  They're all playing their first games this Saturday.

TYAA also has a basketball league and cheerleading for the girls.