What's happening to Sidwell football?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Listen football is a tough sport and some injuries are life long. I don’t blame parents and the school is they have lost interest.

That may be true at Sidwell, especially given the ideological tilt of many of the parents.

But nationwide football participation at the high school level increased by 5.6% to over 1 million. (2023 vs 2022) according to the National Federation of High Schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is quietly sunsetting the football team. Some alums and diversity advocates will howl, but fielding a Sidwell football team with all of the liability and expense that entails hasn’t made sense in years.

Makes sense. The school and alumni will survive without it. GDS apparently never had football, and it's doing more than OK.

Then why are there GDS students playing on the Sidwell team?

they play on maret

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is quietly sunsetting the football team. Some alums and diversity advocates will howl, but fielding a Sidwell football team with all of the liability and expense that entails hasn’t made sense in years.

Makes sense. The school and alumni will survive without it. GDS apparently never had football, and it's doing more than OK.

Then why are there GDS students playing on the Sidwell team?

GDS kids play on Maret not Sidwell.

I’m almost positive there are GDS kids playing for Sidwell this year.

there are not only maret

[Anonymous]

How does Maret have MAC football and Sidwell does not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How does Maret have MAC football and Sidwell does not?

Maret really prioritizes football as an area of pride and also a selling point in admissions.

However, I don’t believe Sidwell is “sunsetting” football. Participation is great. They have over 30 kids on the team and they get good attendance for home games.

The main issue is one that has plagued Sidwell for a long time, size. They are just undersized on the line and not willing to make admissions accommodations to change that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen football is a tough sport and some injuries are life long. I don’t blame parents and the school is they have lost interest.

That may be true at Sidwell, especially given the ideological tilt of many of the parents.

But nationwide football participation at the high school level increased by 5.6% to over 1 million. (2023 vs 2022) according to the National Federation of High Schools.

The tilt being...able to read scientific literature about cte? You can make this political if you want, but I don't think you want to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look at football matriculations from Gonzaga. The skill position players are going to schools like Stanford and Michigan. The linemen are going to junior colleges. I trust they’re at Gonzaga on scholarship and hope the process helps them achieve their goals, but it’s not hard to see why a smaller school like Sidwell decided not to go down that road.

Gonzaga is sending kids to JC’s?

JU's as well.

[Anonymous]

https://www.maxpreps.com/dc/washington/sidwell-friends-quakers/football/22-23/schedule/

results vs MAC teams in the 2022-23 season

10/1 vs Flint Hill L 50-0

10/22 vs Maret L 51-7


10/29 vs St James L 42-6

11/4 vs Potomac School L 45-0

11/12 vs Maret 55-31

This season they just got rid of MAC teams altogether.
https://www.maxpreps.com/dc/washington/sidwell-friends-quakers/football/schedule/

And please stop comparing Sidwell to St John/GZ or the other WCAC powers. If they played them they would lose 100-0. You can be competitive in the MAC without recruiting across the region. Sidwell has clearly chosen not to and, as such, dropped MAC teams from their schedule. Like other posters have said, you can field a competitive basketball team with just a handful of star players. For sports like football and lax you need bodies. A couple of superstars can't carry a team in those sports.

Sidwell can still have "competitive" football games. They just need to compete at a really low level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen football is a tough sport and some injuries are life long. I don’t blame parents and the school is they have lost interest.

Are you saying that they're shutting it down?

Not PP but yes, yes they are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.maxpreps.com/dc/washington/sidwell-friends-quakers/football/22-23/schedule/

results vs MAC teams in the 2022-23 season

10/1 vs Flint Hill L 50-0

10/22 vs Maret L 51-7


10/29 vs St James L 42-6

11/4 vs Potomac School L 45-0

11/12 vs Maret 55-31

This season they just got rid of MAC teams altogether.
https://www.maxpreps.com/dc/washington/sidwell-friends-quakers/football/schedule/

And please stop comparing Sidwell to St John/GZ or the other WCAC powers. If they played them they would lose 100-0. You can be competitive in the MAC without recruiting across the region. Sidwell has clearly chosen not to and, as such, dropped MAC teams from their schedule. Like other posters have said, you can field a competitive basketball team with just a handful of star players. For sports like football and lax you need bodies. A couple of superstars can't carry a team in those sports.

Sidwell can still have "competitive" football games. They just need to compete at a really low level.

They've already been reduced to playing pickup teams made up of Christian home schoolers. Maybe next look for 12 year old Pop Warner teams?

Frankly, it's good they pulled out of the MAC. Their kids were so mismatched that it could have been dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is quietly sunsetting the football team. Some alums and diversity advocates will howl, but fielding a Sidwell football team with all of the liability and expense that entails hasn’t made sense in years.

Makes sense. The school and alumni will survive without it. GDS apparently never had football, and it's doing more than OK.

Then why are there GDS students playing on the Sidwell team?

GDS kids play on Maret not Sidwell.

They play on both.

[Anonymous]

The school lost a ton of upperclassmen last year and with the coaching change, a few transfers.

They needed to reboot the program. It is mostly underclassmen, so rather than having them compete a full MAC schedule, they took a step back.

The new coach is an Alum and is very well liked. He also got assurances from the administration before taking the job.

They will likely be back in the MAC next year, or certainly the year after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is quietly sunsetting the football team. Some alums and diversity advocates will howl, but fielding a Sidwell football team with all of the liability and expense that entails hasn’t made sense in years.

Makes sense. The school and alumni will survive without it. GDS apparently never had football, and it's doing more than OK.

Then why are there GDS students playing on the Sidwell team?

GDS kids play on Maret not Sidwell.

yes they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Listen football is a tough sport and some injuries are life long. I don’t blame parents and the school is they have lost interest.

Are you saying that they're shutting it down?

Not PP but yes, yes they are.

Where do you get this from. As a Sidwell parent of 2 kids of which one is still on the team, the football program will remain in place. More than half the team was made up of seniors last year leaving an undersized majority this year.

[Anonymous]

Does Sidwell have any good to descent players this year? I heard that 80% plus oof the team are new to the sport.