Parents and longtime volunteer coaches press council on city’s youth-football transition plan

Dozens of coaches, team owners and longtime volunteers told the Wichita City Council on Tuesday that a proposed transition in youth football operations could displace volunteer mentors and reduce playing opportunities for elementary-age players.

Council and staff described the city’s plan to align seventh- and eighth-grade teams with Unified School District 259 (USD 259) programs and zoning for feeder patterns. Staff said the move is intended to create a clearer pipeline from youth football into middle and high school teams and to provide program consistency across neighborhoods.

Several public speakers, including Ulysses DeShazer (a 34-year coach), Waddell Knox (38 years coaching), Kendall Dean (owner of the Wichita Gators) and Lawanda Deshaits, urged the council to preserve community-led teams for first through sixth grade. Speakers said the proposed boundaries would split longstanding neighborhood teams, require families to pay fees (they said registration begins at $55 and rises later in the season) and could reduce playing time for kids on crowded rosters.

Coaches also raised concerns about equipment and fundraising. Coach DeShazer told council members, “We have thousands and thousands of dollars invested in equipment,” and said that, under the proposed arrangement, grassroots programs would still be responsible for recruiting, uniforms and equipment while high-school programs would be credited with player development.

Parks staff (identified in the meeting as Reggie) and councilmembers urged cooperation. Reggie said the city partnered with USD 259 last season to host games on district campuses and that the current season’s plan aligns seventh- and eighth-grade teams with USD 259 employees who would coach paid middle-school teams and follow feeder zoning. Reggie said earlier volunteers will have “opportunity to actually coach with those teams” and that parents may be able to be paid by the district for some positions.

Councilmember Johnson and other members encouraged continued dialogue and scheduled further outreach sessions; councilmembers said a meeting with the league and staff was set for Feb. 11. No formal council action was taken; the comments were part of the public agenda.

Speakers asked that the transition preserve community identity and access: “If we move this program under a high school, you lose the relationship because there’s no guarantee that same coach will be there year after year,” Lawanda Deshaits said. Several councilmembers said the city intended to work with existing coaches to minimize displacement and that the transition would be gradual.