Cape Elite cultivating an inclusive culture around football

Cape Elite President Harry Hudson noticed a void in the youth football scene in the Cape Region.

“The reason why I started this league is because I mainly want all kids to play football and cheer,” Hudson said. “I was in Pop Warner for 22 years, and it just got too expensive. I saw kids falling off.”

Hudson quickly created an executive board to lead the American Youth Football program, hoping to make football and cheerleading affordable for all kids and parents.

He teamed up with Josh Pollard, the organization’s vice president, and the two hit the streets to start a community initiative centered around America’s most popular team sport. To charge $75 per kid for football and cheer, Cape Elite sought sponsors from the community to finance the remaining $250 needed to outfit and insure the players and cheerleaders.

Meineke, Dirt Works, Nicola Pizza, Millman’s Appliances and Sundew Painting South were just some of the local businesses that pledged to help cover the remaining costs.

Cape Elite fielded its first teams, 150 kids spread across four age groups, in spring 2022 before opting to stick with tackle in the fall and flag in the spring. Hudson said while it is mostly kids from the Cape school district, he does have players from Milford, Georgetown, Millsboro and Long Neck who have been able to come out thanks to lower costs. Practicing at Mariner Middle, Hudson is hoping Cape Elite can serve as a feeder program for Cape and surrounding schools.

Currently, Delmarva AYF has 14 teams, including Cape Elite. The Vikings travel upstate and to Maryland or Virginia for some games, but also lock horns with teams from Selbyville, Bridgeville and Laurel.

“We are the biggest youth football program in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia,” Hudson said, adding he leads Delmarva AYF as well.

While the Vikings enjoy winning games and teaching kids the right, safe way to play, classroom progress is just as important as what is gained on the field.

“Every player has to turn in a report card; they have to be 70% or better,” Hudson said. “If they're not 70% or better, we do not turn them away; what we do is we get a waiver for them, then during the first marking period, they have to turn in a progress report. That progress report has to show that this child has gone up since his final report card. If he has not gone up, then we take it upon ourselves to find a tutor and make sure that this child passes. There's no one left behind.”

In addition to performance awards at the end-of-year banquet, academic standouts are honored as well.

As the program has grown, so too has the skill level of participants, but Hudson said all skill levels are welcome at every age group – U7, U9, U11 and U13.

“I probably have four kids that have never played football before,” Hudson said. “That's fine. It's our job to teach them. It's our job to put them in the best position possible to win.”

For those more experienced, Hudson takes an all-star team comprising the top players from each team down to Florida every year.

Supporting the Vikings football players are three groups of cheerleaders placed according to age. In 2024, 44 girls across all three squads will be pumping up the sidelines, with the top girls participating in competitions for the first time.

Brittany Colley said as with football, all skill levels are welcome in their ranks.

“We have girls who have been with us from the beginning who also compete for other cheer teams and other competitions,” Colley said. “We have other girls that do tumbling and gymnastics and stuff like that. We have [girls with] no skill level – girls just beginning – to girls who can do a back handspring.”

Amber Godwin, whose son is on the U9 team, said she was drawn to the low cost of the program in 2021, and has stuck with Cape Elite since, even helping with concessions and merchandise.

Christine Volpicella helps head up the fundraising branch of Cape Elite.

“So far this year, we have done things like egg your yard, we've done a couple of different mini-raffles and we've requested sponsorships,” Volpicella said. “We have different levels of sponsorship from different companies and/or families.”

Her fundraising partner, Christi Doback, said food events have helped boost their efforts.

“Bethany Blues, Chipotle, Texas Roadhouse and Dewey Beer  all had dine-and-donate nights and gave a percentage back to us,” Doback said.

Anyone interested in playing, cheering or donating can check out capeelite.com for current fees or sponsorship opportunities. Cape Elite posts a majority of its announcements on its Facebook page as well.