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Express prepare for gridiron season

April 25, 2013   ·   0 Comments

The spring football season is one month away.

While most gridiron fans think of late August as a start to the football season – at least in Canada – the springs leagues in Ontario will start their season on the May 24, long weekend.

That’s when the TNT Express will don their yellow jerseys for opening day at Mel Mitchell field in Beeton.

Training started this past week but due to the late Spring and unusually wet weather, the fields at Mel Mitchell have been placed off limits to avoid damage to the turf, so the Express started their training camp indoors in the field house at the New Tecumseth Recreation Centre.

Again this season, the Express will field six divisions in the Ontario Minor Football League (OMFL).

“This is our first practice of the year,” said Varsity Division head coach Mario Addorisio, as his players suited for a couple hours of practice on the artificial turf. “We’ve got 38 players registered so far and we’ll probably end up with around 40.”

The TNT Varsity Division has been a power-house team for the past few years under Addorisio’s direction as well as his experienced assistants including long-time coach Lorne Mullins.

The turn-out for the 2013 season brings a lot of experience back to the most senior team in the club.

“We’ve got 15 existing players (from last season) and 23 new and returning players. Some guys who didn’t want to play last year have returned and want to play their final year,” Addorisio said.

That includes several players who were on a championship team and know what it takes to produce a winning effort against some other very tough teams in the OMFL.

“The good thing is the Bantam team that won the championship two years ago have now moved up to Varsity,” he said.

The first practice of the season is typically a physical fitness workout to shake off the winter dust as well as some training where the coaches can observe the players and determine which skill set a player is best suited for.

Players with speed may suited for back positions while others may have more talent on the line.

The OMFL has partnered with the Ontario Varsity League this season making it the largest spring football league in the Province.

Most teams will play against six or eight other teams in their division but the Atom division this year has ballooned to 14 teams including squads from London and Niagara.

“This league is more popular for the younger divisions,” Addorisio explained of how player development takes place over several seasons. “They learn to grow up and move up.”

The Varsity division, which includes player up to 19 years old, will face teams from Cambridge, Niagara, Orangeville, Rexdale, and Hamilton.

Express home games are played on Sundays at Mel Mitchell field in Beeton.

By Brian Lockhart

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