Pop Warner Returns to Winchester in the Fall

Pop Warner Football is returning to Winchester after being absent for more than 30 years. Previously, kids were forced from Winchester to head over to Woburn or Stoneham to play, but not anymore.

Brandon Bergstrom and Michael Bongiorno, along with fellow board members Chuck Ward and George Nowell, and Winchester Football staple, Paul Manganaro, saw that over 70 kids were playing Pop Warner Football in other towns and recognized the need for Winchester's own system. The icing on the cake was McCall Middle School's new field. The board jumped at the opportunity to re-stake Pop Warner Football in Winchester.

After contacting local coaches, gathering contacts from the Winchester Sachem Youth Football club and moving through the proper channels, the board was able to set up a Pop Warner League composed of three levels ranging from ages 7-12.

"All of our coaches have either already coached Pop Warner teams or played at the college football level, or have coached at the middle school or high school level," Bergstrom said.

The practice season begins August 9 and the official season starts after Labor Day, running through Nov. 1. The season consists of eight games, four home and four away. The league is composed of five teams and has more than 120 players.

"There was a place to play, kids who wanted to play and we wanted to give it a shot," Bergstrom said. "The response has been tremendous."

The board wants to make Winchester's Pop Warner one of the best leagues around.

They set up coaching clinics and other hands-on demonstrations to familiarize players and staff with playing together.

"We've had clinics out at Gillette Stadium," Bergstrom said. "We've had our coaches attend workshops coordinated with the high school and had our staff worked with Paul Manganaro who runs the Middle School Football program and has been a really key asset for us – a tremendous resource, a real advocate for the program."

"It's been an impressive turnout of kids," Bongiorno said. "There was a tremendous need that needed to be filled in the town to give kids the opportunity to play football at a younger age.

"A lot of kids have played for other towns, but they'd rather be involved with their friends and in-town programs rather than dispersed through neighboring communities; it's just not the same as playing for your own town and wearing the local colors."

The board was inspired by the need for a Pop Warner team after having their son's participate in other town's leagues.

"We had enough kids to field our own teams," Bongiorno said. "The issue was a lack of an infrastructure. It was difficult to get off the blocks, finding fields to practice and play at, getting people to register, but thanks to Paul Manganaro and this new field in town, we put together the board, got a lot of volunteers to help out and coach and we got a lot of kids that want to play. Hopefully the time that goes into it will be worth it."

Games are held Sunday mornings at Manchester Field behind the Middle School.

For more information on Winchester's Pop Warner League, including how to sign up and a full season schedule, visit their website at WinchesterPopWarner.com.