Times have changed for the Butler Area Midget Football League.

The league may have gone away. The organization hasn’t.

“A lot of people have the misconception that we’ve folded,” BAMFL president Bob Greaves said. “We’ve just restructured. Our (player) numbers dictated the changes we’ve made.”

For the first time since its birth in 1848, the BAMFL is not a league of its own. Instead, it has a 7-8-year-old team, 9-10-year-old team and 11-12-year-old squad entered in the 12-team United Youth Football League.

That league begins play Aug. 17 and includes teams from Mars, Pine-Richland, Shaler, Seneca Valley, Hampton and Saxonburg, among other areas.

Butler High School has added a second junior high team this fall, so eighth-graders are no longer in the BAMFL.

“Some seventh-graders may still be young enough to be in our organization. Those kids would have a choice, I guess,” BAMFL board member Chris Morrow said.

“We were hoping to put two teams in this new league, but the numbers aren’t there. If our numbers increase to that point, we can still do that.”

Greaves said there are 20 kids on the age 7-8 team, 30 on the 9-10 team and 35 on the 11-12 team. The Butler Lil’ Tornadoes also play in the UYFL, but are not affiliated with the Butler Midget program.

Hank Leyland will coach the Midgets’ 7-8 team while Jeff Bailey coaches the 9-10 squad and Jeff Tonini the 11-12 unit.

The BAMFL had as many as 10 teams at one point in its history with nearly 400 kids involved. Those numbers have dwindled in recent years.

“This is a big change, but our league has undergone a number of changes through the years,” Morrow said. “Because of our numbers, this is something we have to do.

“Our goal will always be to have the highest number of teams in Butler we can have.”

Greaves recalled the years when five Midget teams out of Butler city alone — Island, Southside, West End, Institute Hill and Lyndora — populated the league.

“Those days are gone,” he said. “We have to adapt.”

The BAMFL is keeping its in-house flag football program going this year for kids ages 6-7 who don’t want to get involved in tackle football just yet.

The flag football program had 55 to 60 kids last year. Those numbers are down so far this year.

“Again, some people think we don’t exist anymore. We’re trying to get the word out,” Morrow said.

“We’ve had 65 successful years already and we’re looking to start on another 65 successful years.”

The BAMFL tradition is a rich one. There are 39 members of the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame who participated in the league, including five NFL players and late National League umpire Ed Vargo, who coached the Island-Lyndora team to a league title.

“The neighborhood rivalries will be missed,” Greaves admitted. “People will always be loyal to their community teams, but this change isn’t all bad. We’re more unified now than ever and we’re more in-tune with and connected to the high school program than we’ve ever been.”

More information on the restructuring of the BAMFL can be found on the organization’s website, bamfl.org.