Best of D.C. 2009

The D.C. area has become a youth-football powerhouse as strong as any region in the country, and the Capital Beltway League has historically been the stoutest confederation around these parts. The Beltway boys brought home more renown in the 2008 season as its White Oak teams (the club featured in all those Under Armour commercials) took national titles in two Pop Warner divisions. But the Beltway League’s days of dominating the D.C. market could be ending, what with the merger of the Pop Warner leagues run by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington and the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. The new alliance put an amazing 110 teams and more than 2,800 mini-footballers ages five to 15 on the field last season. And the city showed its commitment to kiddie football by building a state-of-the-art gridiron at Lamond-Riggs Rec Center in Northeast; the new league also has access to the incredible artificial turf stadiums at D.C. high schools. As one local high school coach told me while scouting a 12-hour slate of Pop Warner games with a few thousand other folks at Dunbar Senior High, “It’s a great way to spend a Saturday.” Best of all: You can watch all day for free.ks at Dunbar Senior High, “It’s a great way to spend a Saturday.” Best of all: You can watch all day for free.