Sean Allen
BRANT NEWS

The Brant and District Football Club is putting out a call to arms to other minor sports organizations to join them in challenging youth to get involved in sports.

“Children today seem to be content to sit on the couch and play Madden Football, NHL 2013 or Major League Baseball on their video game system rather then get outside and play the real game with their friends,” BDFC president Brad Ward said. “Child obesity is an issue with today’s society with many children simply not getting enough physical activity in their daily lives.”

The football club has developed posters featuring young athletes of the club in action with the caption “Dare to be like me!”

The idea is to challenge kids to “get off the couch and become active in organized sports.”

Ward has aspirations to not only see the campaign extended to other minor sports organizations in Brantford, but possibly get some regional or provincial attention.

“Child obesity can be reduced if we can just get the kids more active in sports,” he said. “We hope that the (Brantford) sports council will agree to co-ordinate this campaign among all the minor sports organizations in our community and that they will answer our call to arms on this important issue and develop their own posters using the ‘dare to be like me’ theme.”

The Brant and District Football Club has contacted the Ontario Medical Association and will be reaching out to the governing bodies of minor football to urge support for this campaign on a regional scale.

“If this campaign results in one child who decides to play an organized sport when he or she might not have – whether it is football, baseball, soccer or hockey – then this campaign will be a success,” Ward said.

The Brant and District Football Club operates a spring and fall season for more than 350 young athletes under the Brantford Bisons banner.

The club plans to run the ‘dare to be like me’ campaign for the remainder of the year, but hopes to extend it if other local minor sports bodies join in.