Are you a former athlete who has the itch to strap on the pads and compete on the gridiron again?
If so, Daniel Owens wants to hear from you.
Owens and 2010 Newton High School graduate Allen Phillips have formed a semi-pro football team and the co-owners are currently working on completing the team’s roster.
The first tryout took place at the Newton YMCA. The next one, on Jan. 31, will be at the Pella Recreation Center Fieldhouse.
“It’s just something we wanted to do,” said Owens, a 2010 Des Moines North graduate. “Some days are better than others as far as the process, but we did some research and the Newton Nitehawks had plenty of success in the 1970s.”
Owens said he wants the Central Iowa Bandits’ roster to include up to 65 players but only 22 showed up for the first tryout.
“We are hoping to get a lot more the second time around,” Owens said. “I challenged everyone at the first tryout to bring some friends with them next time,”
The Central Iowa Bandits will play in the Midwest Football League, joining other squads from Waterloo (East Iowa Storm), Topeka, Kan., (Topeka Rage), Omaha, Neb., and Kansas City.
Home games and practices for the Bandits will first be at Berg Middle School but Owens hopes to move the games to H.A. Lynn Field after renovations there this summer are complete.
The season is slated to start in early May and games will be played on Saturday afternoons.
Owens said the process of starting the team began in September.
The tryouts are $30 and athletes who make the team essentially play for the “love of the game,” according to Owens.
“There is a fee to play,” Owens said. “It will be $200 per season. That covers uniforms and travel expenses. Players must provide their own helmets and shoulder pads.”
According to the Central Iowa Bandits Facebook page, 16 players already have earned a roster spot.
The team, so far, consists of five wide receivers, four defensive backs, three defensive linemen, one linebacker, one defensive end, one tailback and one kicker.
Coaching the Central Iowa Bandits will be David Woods, who most recently coached the Iowa Crush, a women’s semi-pro team in Des Moines.
“I am excited for this opportunity. I also am eager to meet the players and get the ball rolling,” said Woods on his Facebook page. “This will be a fun season as we try to make the MFL (Midwest Football League) playoffs.”
The Jan. 31 tryout in Pella will start at 4 p.m. Owens, Phillips and Woods will put the players through agility drills, speed drills and position drills and anyone who is 18 or older can attend.
The $30 tryout fee includes a Central Iowa Bandits T-shirt.
For more information about the Central Iowa Bandits or to sponsor the team, call Owens at 641-275-7331.