Keller, TX (KTVT) — It’s the youth league where everyone is not a winner. The Keller Youth Association Football League has decided to do away with trophies for every child who plays. The league director said the board made the decision in order to teach kids that to get awards, they have to go above and beyond just participating.
Football director John Quinones said the board had talked about eliminating trophies for a couple years. They scaled back to medals for participants over the last few seasons. Starting in the spring, those will be gone too, except for possibly the youngest division. Only league champions will take home an award.
“The biggest thing is we want to teach these kids everything in life isn’t going to be given to them,” Quinones said. “Your boss when you go to work isn’t going to give you a trophy just because you showed up on time.”
Quinones informed parents with a post on Facebook, and said the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
Mike Simmons, said the 10 or 12 trophies in his sons room don’t mean anything to him, but a championship trophy might.
The decision does not affect award policies for other sports offered by the association, just football. The non-profit provides youth sports for 6,700 kids in Keller and north Fort Worth.
