Bandits in the Off-Season

Bandits football training continues with prestigious off-season training camps

The Bonnyville Amateur Football Association (BAFA) is starting to gain some attention in the football world for developing strong bodied and strong minded players. The association is bringing up the ideal player, says Bantam Bandits coach Mickey Fagnan, “we have a number of kids coming through our ranks that have turned heads, every where I’ve brought them.”

Fagnan explains that BAFA helps develop players, even during the off-season by bringing willing athletes to football camps throughout the province, “we were just at an international professional camp, we brought 22 kids from Bonnyville.” Fagnan says the camps employ quality football professionals; such as Darius Bowman, the number 1 receiver in the CFL (Edmonton Eskimos). “At this New World Agency camp, all eight coaches were current CFL players. Running back, Quarterbacks, every position, had a professional coach. There was 105 kids, 22 of them came from Bonnyville.”

“It’s unprecedented, we’ve never had that many of our kids attend,” Fagnan says it’s all part of the development philosophy within BAFA, “I’m trying to expose our kids to professional camps in the off-season.” Fagnan says the players are so engaged, “there’s a professional athlete there. They’ve paid their dues and they want to give back to their community at the grassroots level.”

Photo Credit Mickey Fagnan

Photo Credit Mickey Fagnan

Photo Credit Mickey Fagnan

“The comments from the kids and the parents have been outstanding. They’re excelling in the off-season and we just have to make those opportunities available and these kids will just eat it up.” There is another camp coming up in April which Fagnan is excited to bring kids from BAFA program to participate in it.

For more information on New World Agency football camps, visit them online newworldagency.com

BAFA will be having their Annual General Meeting March 22, 2017. The meeting will be held at H.E.Bourgoin school at 7pm. There are 3 positions up for election this year President, Treasurer and Secretary