Building a Football Community: The First Decade of Junior Ravens Football

After ten years in the Ottawa community, Junior Ravens Football is well on its way to introducing 10,000 youth to the sport by 2025. From that first cohort of 130 community members in 2013, before the Ravens had even returned to the field, thousands of youth, aged 6 to 18 have safely been introduced to the game of football by the program.

Today, the program has grown, keeping its safety-first focus and striving to help kids fall in love with football while also growing to cater to those who are serious about maximizing their athletic potential.

Ravens coach Josh Sacobie has been at the helm of the program since it began in 2012. The teams’ Quarterbacks Coach and Manager of Programs admits the program took off faster than they could have dreamed. The Ravens program, which borrowed its early model from the successful Laval Rouge et Or program, has quickly grown into a key part of the Ottawa football community.