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Philadelphia Eagles lend a helping hand to youth football team

Published  November 17, 2016 11:25pm EST
U.S.
FOX 29 Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) - It was a heartbreaking loss for a local youth football team when their equipment was stolen. But now their luck is turning around because thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles they will play their championship game at the NovaCare Center. They are also replacing the stolen equipment.

FOX 29's Bruce Gordon has the happy update.

41-year-old Anthony Meadows showed FOX 29 Monday the football field his Nu Sigma Sharks use--courtesy of Neumann- Goretti High School--after their pregame ritual.

"We literally walk the field to make sure there was no dog mess on the field," he explained.

Meadows and other adult volunteers coach kids ages 5 to 15 in football and in life. The fields are lumpy, barren in spots, but the lessons are important.

"The whole concept is working with others. Being able to deal with hard times and overcome them. And sometimes that harsh reality of failure. We didn't win the game. But guess what you still keep going," Meadows told FOX 29.

The latest life lesson came just last week, when thieves cut the chain holding the security fence surrounding the field closed then broke into a storage trailer and stole field equipment; yard markers, pylons, the line painting sprayer.

Neumann-Goretti loaned them equipment for last weekend's semi final games. This weekend it's the championship round for the 8 and under and 10 and under squads.

"We've been through tough times before and we're going to go through them again," Meadows said. " It's just one of the unfortunate life scenarios that we have to teach our kids to be able to deal with adversity and push on."

Philadelphia Eagles team president Don Smolenski called FOX 29's Bruce Gordon after our story ran. The Birds would partner with the Sports Complex Special Services District to replace all of that stolen field equipment, the markers, the pylons and the painting gizmo. Then the Eagles went one better: inviting the Sharks to play their Saturday title games on the manicured fields of a real pro team. The Sharks are looking forward to a dust-free title game.