By: Isaiah S. Showell, Follow South Jersey Multimedia Journalist/’What’s Good’ Host
BRIDGETON, N.J. — Women in Bridgeton no longer must wait on the sidelines while the men go play football because of Taron Byers has created a platform for women to compete in a league of their own.
Byers is the founder of the Ace of Spades, a women’s flag football team at Delaware State University and decided to bring that same ingenuity to his hometown of Bridgeton. “If you build it, they will come” is a line from the motion picture Field of Dreams that applies to the Byers Legacy League because once it was built, the women and the community showed up.
“I hope that when I’m 50 years old, this is still going on,” said Byers.
Positive outlets are essential for the City of Bridgeton, especially for the youth because many residents believe that due to a shortage of things to do is a direct result to youth getting into trouble, so the city approves of the Byers Legacy League and its existence.
“Maybe I’ll have a granddaughter playing and my grandsons will be running it to keep a legacy,” Byers said. “I feel we are the authors of our own legacy.”
The teams are called The Lady Falcons, The Stallions, The Dream Demons, and The Panthers. The Lady Falcons especially appreciates the entire process of preparing for the games and becoming a team.
“We’ve created a bond and a sisterhood,” said The Lady Falcons. The head coach of The Lady Falcons lost their son during the preparation for the games and still never missed a practice for the ladies and that meant a lot to the team.
“When we came together, we didn’t know what we were getting into or know one another, but we love one another for what we’ve been through,” the team stated.
The Stallions were crowned the champions and were coached by Byers.
The Byers Legacy League ran from Saturday to Sunday and drew a major crowd at the Bridgeton Midget Football Field, and it was definitely What’s Good in South Jersey this week!
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