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By Longtime Observer · Posted
It woudn't have to be strictly tied to counties. Just general regional areas. The number of programs would depend on the level of interest and number of players in a given area. Dade/broward area might have 5+ programs, while Polk/Heartland might have 1-2, for example. The key phrase you mention in deciding what game to attend is "my local school". This seems to be more about them being the local program, rather than it being your alma mater. This would still be an option for you, as the idea is to have higher caliber programs that represent a geographic area. You'd root for your local team against a strong team from another area. All of the players on your local team are from your area, though they can attend a variety of schools for academics. A Manatee county program can appeal to all of the residents of Manatee county, including those who may have attended historically poor programs when they were at each individual school. Now, if Bayshore is your high school, you're basically frozen out of having a team to root for that can win. It's been that way for decades. Manatee (and Southeast back in the day) have been so dominant that it's got to be hard to get excited to even a tiny degree. Because a form of what I propose already exists to a lesser, informal extent, the lower level programs are actually much worse now than the past. Bayshore failed to score a single point in eight (8) games last year. How many fans attended their games? Contrast that with the number of people who'd like to support the program if it was ever a little bit close to mattering. I bet there's plenty of folks who'd be willing to invest time/money, but are abstaining because it is hopeless. Sharply reducing the number of programs as I propose allows all of the folks in the Bradenton area to unite around 1 strong team. Everyone is included, regardless of where academic classes occur. Each Friday night would see the Manatee county area program face another strong program from another area. For example, the Manatee elite program vs. East Hillsborough elite one week. Another week, Manatee vs. Sarasota elite. Etc. All the best players, coaches and all in the community who want a team to root for are consolidated. Ticket sales, booster contributions and other investments are consolidated into a much smaller number of elite programs. You see this to a small degree in a place like Texas, where there are fewer but larger high schools with mega support. Allen High, for example, is known for having massive, super impressive facilities. But, Allen High has over 5,000 students! They could've very easily split that up into three high schools. And then all three would be smaller, with potential stars and donors diluted to the point that none of the three programs offer anything remotely close to what the huge Allen High offers now. At a super large school, everything end up being bigger or more robust. Academically, many feel that comes with trade-off costs. So, it may not be the case that super large schools are best overall for students. BUT, when it comes to sports programs, the benefits are obvious. If you separate schools from mega, for-profit sports programs, school enrollment doesn't matter any more. A Manatee county area super program pulling in fans from all over the area, could be something very special. Of course, they'd face special programs from other areas as well. So, the quality of play would be better. Also, with fewer programs in this super league, the need for officials is also less. This should lead to cutting the worst performing officials and eliminate the shortage we face currently. I've never gotten the impression that AAU teams were tied to geographic areas and regional pride. And, the AAU championships have never been seen as THE championships. They're also held in summer, when folks aren't paying attention to basketball. But, sure, considerations around how to avoid making such a league another kind of AAU thing would be important. -
By Perspective · Posted
In your opinion, which of those games, if any, will Dillard be the underdog and have trouble winning? -
I agree that this is an interesting concept. But Florida has 67 counties, and what might work well in your county could be a bust in others. No question that you could potentially get more money invested, better coaching, and better quality of play with regional all-star teams. But you lost me when you state that you would get better fan support. While high school football may be transactional to some, it is still an emotional experience for many. It's not just the play on the field; it's about the sights and sounds in the stadium on Friday night, and if the home team wins, all the better. Yes, the hardcore fan will always make an effort to see an "all-star" game, but I don't think that holds true for the casual fan who knows the QB who lives down the street or has a son/daughter in the band or some other personal connection to the school. I'll travel 50 miles to see my local school play on Friday, but I personally would not travel 20 miles to see a game with just a handful of players from my local community, no matter how high the quality of play. And I think that's true of the majority of fans who typically attend games and support their local high school. My belief is you would end up with the typical AAU basketball crowd - parents, hardcore fans, scouts, and hangers-on. Again, probably a better model for the football purist, but I don't see it being more popular in terms of fan support in large parts of the state. -
By DILLARDBOYZ954 · Posted
8/22/25 - DR.PHILIPS (HOME) “BROWARD VS USA SHOWCASE” 8/29/25- STRANAHAN (HOME) 9/5/25- NORTHEAST * (HOME) 9/13/25- @ BOYD ANDERSON (SATURDAY NIGHT) 9/20/25 - MIRAMAR (HOMECOMING SATURDAY NIGHT) 9/26/25 SUNCOAST* (HOME) 10/4/25 “SOUL BOWL” @ BLANCHE ELY   10/10/25 @ * DR.GARCIA 10/24/25 * BOYNTON BEACH (HOME) 10/31/25 @ DEERFIELD BEACH LETS GET IT PANTHERS!!!! #DillardOverEverybody. -
Interesting concept and we should be open to consider these kinds of possibilities going forward as the current environment for HS football is not ideal.
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