Agreement reached between Eastern Panhandle Youth Football, officials organization

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — After a week of uncertainty, youth football will return to the Eastern Panhandle thanks to an agreement.

On September 24, the Tri-County Youth Football League (TCYFL) announced that the rest of the season’s games would be cancelled.

The Eastern Panhandle Officials Association said they would stop providing game officials because of “abuse, negativity and utter disrespect shown to our officials from parents, coaches and most recently from our players”.

Following this decision, TCYFL President Doug Arndt met with officials Sunday and Tuesday. On Tuesday, the two entities reached an agreement and a course of action, including:

– Security at each field empowering an individual who will
possess full league authority to handle any situation outside
the game fence

– Zero-tolerance policy (for disrespectful behavior)

Arndt said onĀ Panhandle Live last week that he realized the TCYFL carries a lot of responsibility on its shoulders.

“Our job is to protect the league,” Arndt said. “Groups of coaches and groups of parents come and then they go. But the damage is left behind for the league to fix.”

There are currently 500 athletes divided into five youth football leagues across Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan counties.