Joliet Buccaneers Season a Go During COVID

Joliet-As normalcy tries to
play its role back into everyday life again, the question comes up all the time
about sports mainly football. What will local football look like over the next
few months and how can it work? Well, for the Joliet Buccaneers Adult Amateur
Football Team it seems like it’s going to work out the way in which their
players and coaches hoped it would turn out. I’m excited for the players and
the for myself said 2nd Year Head Coach/Team President Michael W.
Ingram Jr. “We had been working really hard during the offseason until the
COVID happened, I had told the players back in March prior to the stay at home
order, to stay vigilant with their workouts and let’s keep in contact. During
that 3-month layoff the players and my Assistant Head Coach Garland Robinson stayed
in constant contact with the players through PlayStation, Xbox, and Facebook. All
the players that are on the team come from different backgrounds and were either
essential or non-essential workers, those that weren’t were hit hard along with
countless other Illinoisans and Americans through out our country.

So, the BGFL (Battle Ground Football League) voted back on May 16th
to move forward with the season. It was a unanimous vote to go ahead with a
2020 season, by shorting the season to 6 games, and every team would make the
playoffs. I was in favor of the 2020 season vote and keeping the 8-game season
said Ingram. The league was more in-favor for a shorten season because of the
unknown that might happen. Every team was given 9 weeks to prep for the season
and to get things done, like securing Home Field, Securing Officials were the
top priorities. The Buccaneers are still hoping to play its games at Commissioners
Park, which is on the northwest side of Naperville. The park district has been
very good to the Buccaneers organization over the last 5 years. They too (Naperville
Park District) have been hit hard with the COVID-19 by closing their facilities
as mandated by the state and has advised the Buccaneers that games will only be
played once the state reaches phase 4, which will be in early July. With 3
dates that the Buccaneers have requested, the team hopes that they will get those
dates (July 18, August 1 and 8). I’m just excited said #34 LB/TE Travis Gates. Gates
has been with the team for 3 years and is a captain, and most of all a newly father.
We have had been working hard during in-door, then this crap happened, but I
can tell you this we’ll be okay though, said Gates.

So,
the Buccaneers players have been staying safe and practicing social distancing
and limited number of players at practice at a time and doing what has been necessary
to keep everyone safe. It’s important that we do what’s right said Assistant
Head Coach / Defensive Coordinator Garland Robinson. It’s also important that
we help these young men, keep their minds occupied with something positive and
constructive during these turbulent times.

For more information about how to be a part of the Joliet
Buccaneers or learn more please visit them on the web at www.jolietbuccaneers.com or Facebook, twitter and or
Instagram