A once-dominant youth football organization is attempting a comeback

The Sarasota Ringling Redskins are back.

Well, technically the organization never left, but the past decade has seen the one-time youth football powerhouse wane in relevance, to the point where even past players weren’t sure if the league was active or not. Heck, I wasn’t, and it’s my job to know these things.

The league’s website had lapsed. Its Facebook pages were deleted or changed. It no longer had a foothold in the community. In its “absence,” other leagues, like Pop Warner, took its place.

There’s no singular reason for the organization’s decline, according to board members Raul Ramirez and Cathy Leetzow. A combination of decisions that didn’t pan out and a growing concern about the sport of football itself caused a loss in interest.

Recently, though, things have changed.

Ramirez has been on the board for three years, Leetzow for two. Together, with a few others, they have led the charge for the organization to return to its former glory. I talked to them at Redskins headquarters on 17th Street. A floor-to-ceiling trophy display case (display wall, really) contains countless memories from seasons’ past.

“That’s only some of them,” Leetzow said with a smile.

The “re-establishment,” as Leetzow calls it, really began in 2017, when the Redskins’ fields received an overhaul. New sod, new lights, new everything. A weight room is on Ramirez’s vision board for the facility, and he’d also like to add features to help kids in more areas than just sports, such as bringing in tutors to help kids with schoolwork.

They are adding a flag football league for 4- to 6-year-olds to soothe concerns parents have over head injuries, and they are even encouraging adults to play in their own league if there’s enough interest.

Ramirez said he hopes the Redskins can become the go-to spot for all kids in Sarasota on a Saturday morning. A place where they can both have fun and learn the value of working hard. A place that held chicken fries for the community to enjoy. In essence, a family. 

It was that place once. Founded in 1960, the organization has seen great coaches, like John Patella, and great players, like former Denver Bronco Herb Haygood and former Washington Redskin Tim Johnson, among many others, pass through its halls. More than 45,000 players have called the facility home, including Ramirez’s and Leetzow’s children (and Leetzow’s husband, Mark Leetzow).

If you ever lived in Sarasota, you knew the Redskins and what they were about. I’ve been here for less than two years, and I can’t tell you how many current high school athletes I talk to who point to memories with the Redskins as their favorites. 

In addition to the flag league, the Redskins are offering U8, U10, U12 and U14 leagues this season, with conditioning for all leagues starting at 6 p.m. Monday. Teams will play 10 regular season games (all on Saturdays), with the Mid-Florida Football and Cheerleading Conference playoffs beginning Oct. 13. Registration is $80 through June 30. The organization held a camp June 16 that had “great turnout,” Ramirez said. It was an encouraging sign that things are going in the right direction.

“We can’t give up,” Ramirez said. “We have to keep going and take advantage of this momentum. We haven’t gone anywhere, and we’re not going anywhere.”

There’s still plenty of work to be done, Leetzow said. The equipment, while functional, could use an upgrade. The building’s roof needs repairs, among other fixes. The Facebook page is back up and running, and a new website is in the plans, as is a GoFundMe page. In its heyday, the league helped many children in need by covering their playing costs. As Leetzow pointed out, this limited the league's funds, so when the league's popularity started to decline, there was nothing to fall back on. 

The Redskins used to have enough players to have multiple teams in the same age division, so they could play each other without the need to travel. They don’t have the players for that now, but it’s a hope that, with the league’s new direction, they can get back to that level eventually, while maintaining the travel league for those who want it.

“Everything has its time,” Leetzow said, “and I think it’s time for this.”

For information or to help the cause, email [email protected] or call 953-6560.