| The Outlawz players practice every weekend at various fields in the area. Their first league game will be this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Helper Junior High. |
This weekend a new athletic team will debut in Price.
It is not a team associated with the high schools or the college and the players aren’t looking for varsity letters or scholarships.
They just want to play football.
The Price Outlawz was originally going to be formed as a cop-league team.
But according to coach Buzz Rondinelli, when the word got out that a real football team was going to be formed in the area, the players began to flock to join.
The team ranges in age from 52-year-old Junior to his 18-year-old son, Perry and all ages in-between. Approximately 40 players from Carbon and Emery counties line the roster and Rondinelli said they believe the numbers will continue to grow.
The Price Outlawz is a semi-pro football team and is sanctioned through the Rocky Mountain Football League.
“It is outdoor, 11 on 11, real football,” coach Vinnie Rondinelli commented.
This Saturday’s game will take place at 1 p.m. at Helper Junior High. The Outlawz will host the Layton Longhorns, a fellow RMFL team.
The RMFL is composed of teams from Idaho, Utah and Montana. The league originally began in 1997 in Pocatello, Idaho.
According to the RMFL, “the focus of the original Rocky Mountain Football league was not necessarily to expand, make money or even grow in reputation. It was simply to provide an opportunity for local area football players to continue their careers, or in some situations, begin careers in the greater Rocky Mountain area.”
The Rondinellis said the team has the same goals as the league. The players are not paid to compete and the majority of the money that will come in through ticket sales will go back into the community through charitable donations.
The league will also serve as a way for the youth in the area to get excited about football and give them a venue for playing beyond high school.
“These guys get an extra shot. There is no where else around here to play right now,” Buzz Rondinelli commented. “This would be the first ever semi-pro team in the area.”
Several local merchants have helped to sponsor the team, donating money for equipment and gear.
The players also pay a participation fee to help supplement the team’s needs.
The team is still looking for many members of the community to participate in launching the new program.
Statiticians, announcers, fundraisers and concession organizers are needed, as well as someone to help the team get their website up and running.
For more information on the league or to volunteer, contact Vinnie Rondinelli at 636-0142.