What do Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, and Tom Brady all have in common? They all played high school football. Since Concord Academy’s shift to coeducation in 1971, we have held off on having a football team of our own, as schools around us broaden their football programs. Throughout our school’s history, teachers and students alike have asked the same question: Should we have a football team at CA?
The current answer is no. For starters, a team would require sizable funds. CA would need a new field just for football and new equipment.
Another common concern is the danger of the sport. Football is well known to cause more head injuries than any other high school sport, as well as many other injuries. Those against a team might mention the danger of the contact sport. While this is true about football, CA has not proven to be against contact sports. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the sports that have the next highest rates of head injuries are played in CA: girls' soccer and boys' lacrosse.
Many would argue that we do not have the numbers for a football team, and they would be wrong. For a full high school-level team, we would only need 27 starters and 5-10 subs. Realistically, players could double positions (defenders playing offensive line, etc.), bringing the numbers under 25 players. For reference, Boys Cross Country has 38 members this year. Also, football would bring in students who may not be as academic or artistic as other CA students. There will always be the worry that increasing our sports prowess will change the dynamic of our community. This may end up being the case over time, but we have strengthened our soccer and basketball teams while still bringing in students who fit CA’s culture. There is no doubt that the same could be done for football.
Finally, there is the concern that football is a dying sport. While high school participation dropped during COVID, it has been rising since. According to research done by NFHS, the number of high school football players since 2024 rose from 1,028,761 to 1,031,508. While this is a small climb, it demonstrates how football is crawling back into American high schools.
Furthermore, if we brought football to CA, school spirit would have an opportunity to thrive. Currently, CA brings spectators out to games in the gym and at Moriarty. Because these locations are so small, there is limited room for fans, and not much brings CA students to watch. A proper football field would give more opportunities for CA to bring school spirit out. Football games draw a crowd, as they tend to be the most popular sport, and lead to increased school spirit.
It is thought that having a football team would lead to CA being moved into the Independent School League. While every school in the ISL has a football team, that may not be all we are missing. Taking a look at our own league, most other schools, like Beaver and Wheeler, lack a football team. However, both Portsmouth Abbey and Pingree play football in the Evergreen Football League. There is no guarantee for a league change.
It does not matter how well our team would do, because it would provide more opportunities for students at CA. Currently, in the fall, there are six girls' teams, while boys only have four. We may lose our Thirds Soccer team if we add football, but it would provide more options to a wider variety of students.
I believe that there should be a football team at CA. We could start a program to collect funds and equipment, and slowly bring in football-playing students. I have talked to my peers and know many who would join. A team would provide spirit and opportunity, both for the school’s athletic reputation and for students to be involved in a new sport. Bringing the biggest sport in high school to CA would be a perfect fit for our athletics program, and I would be delighted to see a football team begin to develop here at Concord Academy.