Malibu High Football Drops To 8-Player Team
Written by 991KBU on May 6, 2019
Malibu High School will drop its regular football team … and move to 8-player football this fall.
The school announced last week that the lack of a youth football program in Malibu means there is no feeder program to the high school squad.
That … plus the fact that surfing is a much more popular activity in Malibu.
And … nationwide … parents are not steering their kids towards football because of worries over concussions.
And at Malibu High … the student body has suddenly gotten smaller due to the Woolsey Fire … which has caused both temporary and permanent kid relocations.
There are approximately 60 ninth-graders on campus.
Just two freshmen went out for the football team this past season.
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District administrator Isaac Burgess says the 8-man football squad will give continue to give kids a Friday Night Lights experience. This has increased student and community pride.
He says the games … which include a drum line, cheer squad, and dance teams . improves community pride.
Burgess says the district will work with the community in developing a youth football program, increase interest in the sport, continue to improve our enrollment, and build back to an 11-man team in the next couple of years.
One major problem is a lack of athletic fields in Malibu for youth football games and practices.
The lights at Malibu High will continue to be used by the 8-man squad … as well as boys and girls soccer teams.
Malibu’s last 11 man squad had most of their players going both ways on offense and defense.
They went 6-4 last season.
