Eliminate fees, add numbers.

The Butler Area Midget Football League is hoping that formula holds true when the 2021 season rolls along.

First-year league president Todd Simko has announced that no fees will be charged to any first-time registrants this off-season.

“We're really trying to get more city kids involved in football,” Simko said. “We recognize that a lot of families have kids who want to play, but simply can't afford the fees.

“Our goal is to get 150 kids playing tackle football with us next season.”

Registration fee to play in the BAMFL is generally $110, plus the sale of $50 worth of fund-raising tickets. Simko said new players will still have to sell the tickets, but the $110 fee would be waived.

A member of the United Youth Football League, the BAMFL has produced a UYFL Super Bowl winner in each of the past four years. Last season, one of Butler's two varsity teams won the Super Bowl while its junior varsity squad — consisting of only 15 players — reached the league's Super Bowl game and lost.

“We had 70 kids and two teams at the varsity (ages 11-12) level last year,” Simko said. “Those numbers were healthy. But only having 15 JV (9-10) players ... we have a lot of room for growth there.”

Butler had 30 football players in its junior high program last season. Only five of them came up from the BAMFL.

“The other 25 were all first-year football players,” Simko said. “We need to become a better feeder system than that.

“A lot of those kids couldn't afford the registration fee when they were younger. Some didn't even know our program existed.”

Butler High School varsity head coach Eric Christy acknowledges the need for more players at the youth level.

“Back in the day, when we had five or six youth teams just in Butler, we had multiple quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, linemen, etc., to choose from as they came up,” Christy said.

“When you have 15 kids coming up from the BAMFL to junior high, some move on to other sports, their bodies change ... if we get five of those kids to stay with football, we're lucky.”

Butler does not have enough players to field a freshman team in 2021.

Butler graduate and former Golden Tornado running back Jason Butler serves on the BAMFL board. He was the offensive coordinator for the junior high team last year and will be the running backs coach for the high school varsity this year.

“Jason is a good bridge for us, helping to connect the midget program to the high school program,” Simko said.

“We want to build off the success of these four Super Bowl wins. That success has come against youth programs from neighboring school districts and North Allegheny is joining the league next year. We want to keep this going.

“I want to break the record for number of Butler kids in the youth football program,” Simko added.

Christy has a son playing in the league.

“It's a great organization,” he said of the BAMFL. “The biggest concern with young people playing football these days is concussions, but our youth league takes excellent safety precautions.

“We're all on the same page as Butler football and I like where we're headed.”