CLARION, Pa. — Jesse Kelley started playing football in 1985 as a first grader in Amelia Island, Florida. Kelley’s football career began in a flag football program and it became a sport that he grew to love.
Kelley played 16 years of football. It all started with flag football where he developed the fundamentals and a love for the game. He enjoyed the flag experience because it was simple.
Later, Kelley went on to play football in college as a walk-on at Slippery Rock University in 2000. He had four competitive seasons at Slippery Rock as a starter. And, his love for the game didn’t end there.
After college, Kelley began a career as a strength and conditioning coach and eventually became the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Auburn University from 2009-2011. During that time, the Auburn University Football team won the BCS National Championship.
Jesse Kelley is currently the Branch Director at the Clarion County YMCA and works part-time as the strength and conditioning coach for Clarion University athletics.
The YMCA Flag Football Program has been his favorite youth sports program over the years because it resembles the backyard, neighborhood feel he knew growing up.
Jesse Kelley will direct the flag football program at the YMCA this season after breaking from the program for a few years.
YMCA Flag Football is a fun, participation based program that teaches fundamentals for kids in first through sixth grade. Kids are encouraged to work as a team and do their best. Kids get to try different positions on the team before moving on to other programs where they don’t get that opportunity.
Both boys and girls are encouraged to take part in the program. Kids are grouped by age in grades 1-2, grades 3-4, and grades 5-6. Practice is one night per week with games on Saturdays. Teams are mixed groups of children from various school districts.
Volunteer coaches, most of whom are dads in the program, help create the backyard feel while calling plays and helping children learn the fundamentals of football.
The YMCA invites the community to a 45 minute clinic on Saturday, September 17 at the YMCA field. Jesse Kelley will run drills and teach basic fundamentals and techniques of blocking, receiving, flag pulling, and passing. It is a good introduction to kick off the flag football season and get the kids excited.
The clinic will be held rain or shine. Kids are encouraged to dress for the weather.
Three clinics will be held at the Clarion County YMCA fields on Saturday, September 17th:
5th & 6th Grade Clinic: 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
3rd & 4th Grade Clinic: 10:00 a.m. to 0:45 a.m.
1st & 2nd Grade Clinic: 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
Registration for Clarion County YMCA Youth Flag Football will be extended through noon on Saturday, September 17th.
Registration forms can be printed at www.clarioncountyymca.org/resources and dropped off at the Clarion County YMCA.
For more information about the Clarion County YMCA and Y programs, please visit the YMCA website at www.clarioncountyymca.org, call 814-764-3400 and follow the Y on Facebook.
The Clarion County YMCA hours are: Weekdays 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
(Article submitted by Michelle Murray, Marketing & Membership Director, Clarion County YMCA, Oil City YMCA, and YMCA Camp Coffman)
Clarion County YMCA and exploreClarion.com have partnered to provide the community with YMCA News. This is an exclusive article only found on exploreClarion.com.
