The "Longwood Football Team: Undefeated" t-shirts that students wear around campus will be obsolete in just a few months. Longwood's Club Football team held tryouts on April 17 at the Turf Field at Lancer Park. Around 30 students showed up at Lancer Park on that Sunday to participate in the open tryout. According to Head Coach Billy Boulden, the goal of the open tryout was to figure out what the club had to work with in terms of talent. Boulden also said one of the goals was to examine what positions needed to be filled on the team and what positions needed to be created. He said the event went well and that having an official tryout helped him to start building a roster.
"On that day, everyone ran the 40-yard dash and the 300-meter. They did sit ups, pushups and agility tests. They played flag football and did 7-on-7 scrimmages. We were getting a feel for what was going on. We've had a couple practices since then trying to build on that and come up with a playbook and give responsibilities to everybody."
Right now, the cost to join the Club Football team is $400. Boulden said $150 would be for dues and $250 would go towards equipment. Currently, the club has some pads, cleats and gloves, but lacks helmets, leg pads and head pads. Boulden explained that the entire $250 would be utilized.
As for the roster, there is room for 80 people. A tentative date for the roster to be finalized is Sept. 17, the day of the first game against the VCU Rams. However, Boulden added that he would like to fill the roster to capacity. Before the first game on Sept. 17, Boulden and the club's executive board want to reach out to other students and incoming freshmen. He wants to have a good picture of things by the start of the fall semester.
The schedule has not yet been finalized as the team is still trying to add more games. Six games have been scheduled so far: VCU at home, Virginia University of Lynchburg (Sept. 23, Home), Coppin State (Oct. 8, Away), Radford (Oct. 22, Away), Coppin State (Nov. 5, Home) and George Mason (Nov. 19, TBD). Boulden is trying to schedule games against North Carolina Tech and the University of South Carolina.
There is a waiver that all players have to sign in order to play. Currently, the Club Football team has a President (Pierre Somorray), Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The club also has an events committee, a game day operations manager and several team manager positions. Boulden said he leaves the decision making up to the team and board members. He is focused on coaching and making sure the team plays safe. Students have tried to gain momentum for Club Football throughout the last several years to no avail. Boulden came on as head coach this spring. He described the whole process as a "whirlwind."
"We wanted this structured properly so that we can play this season and get it off the ground," said Boulden. "We also want to ensure it is a sustaining organization for students to continue playing during their tenure at Longwood."
Boulden has experience playing football. He played for Benedictine High School in Richmond, Va. and played for Christopher Newport University. In addition to his head coaching duties, Boulden is the Assistant Director of Student Activities in the Lankford Student Union. His main goal is to provide structure and organization for the team and to be a good coach.
If you would like to learn more about the Club Football team, contact Billy Boulden at bouldenwr@longwood.edu or contact Pierre Somoray at pierre.somoray@live.longwood.edu.
