Fairfield Pop Warner Champion Trio of Coaches Retire After 13 Years of Volunteer Service

Championship Trio of Fairfield Pop Warner Coaches Retire After 13 Years of Volunteer Service

On Sunday November 6, 2016, a trio of Fairfield Pop Warner coaches, who have coached together for the last 13 years, coached their last youth football game. Head Coach Mark Innaimo, and assistant coaches Lee Battista, Ronnie Ciccia have been serving the youth of Fairfield and Fairfield Pop Warner since 2003. Fairfield Pop Warner itself is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary of service to the Fairfield Community. Fairfield Pop Warner has called Sullivan Field its home since 1966 and named the field after the Fairfield’s famous First Selectman John J. Sullivan who was instrumental in helping to establish the league and find a home for Fairfield Pop Warner half a century ago. The trio have shepherded well over 400 youth players through the program with Innaimo and Battista having witnessed 5 of their own children through the program itself. Ciccia, who actually put in 15 total years in the program coached even though he had no children in the program.

In their 13 year run, the trio has coached at all levels of Pop Warner from the Mitey Mite level (7 year olds) through the Junior Varsity/Varsity levels (13-14 years olds). In their 13 years, their teams appeared in:

Overall Record of 96 wins and 27 losses

~ 10 Southern Connecticut Pop Warner (SCPW) divisional championship games having won 7

~ 6 Connecticut State Championship games having won 4

~ Claimed 2 New England Championships titles

~Made two appearances in National Pop Warner Championships in Florida, having placed 2nd in the nation 2007 and 3rd in the nation 2009.

Battista stated that “While the titles and trophies are great what is most important is that long after the scoreboard lights fade, you have created great memories and life lessons for your players. “The trio have created a legacy for certain and memories for a lifetime for themselves, their players and for Fairfield Pop Warner. According to Mark Innaimo, “it is great to see grown men in their 20’s still calling you ‘Coach’ when they see you in town.”

The three have seen many of their players head off to successful high school football careers at Ludlowe, Warde, Fairfield Prep and St Joseph’s. More importantly, as Ciccia noted, “almost all of them have headed off to colleges as successful young men.”

In addition to their thousands of logged coaching hours, Innaimo and Battista also served on the Executive Board of Directors for Fairfield Pop Warner since 2006. Their service included every Executive Board title from Secretary to President, over that combined 20 years of service. They oversaw the program as it was the first in the nation to institute mandatory concussion and safety training for all of its coaches, program that was recognized by the NFL for its safety protocols and included two visits from NFL Commissioner Goodell, secured multiple grants for the League, and a flag football program that has grown over 600% in the last 5 years. While the trio is sad to leave such a strong, popular and well run program, they all feel that the program is in very capable and energetic hands.