Gulf Coast Sharks football team to have tryouts Saturday

A new football team will be having tryouts this weekend will give local kids a chance to compete nationally year-round.

Organizing for their first year, the Gulf Coast Sharks will hold open tryouts 11 a.m. Saturday for boys ages eight to 13.

With no registration necessary, parents can bring their kids to the Popps Ferry recreational area in Biloxi so they can test their mettle.

The national team will compete year-round with teams from other states like Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee.

The football club aims to temper its boys into young men as they enter local high school leagues. Gulf Coast Sharks Director Joel Fields said, “It exposes them to the national spotlight, to where they can play against national teams, with other players from other states. It tests how good of a player they are and where they’re at in their skillset so they can continue to improve and get better. And hopefully we can prepare them for the next level, college, or maybe the NFL someday.”

Gulf Coast Sharks Coach Octavius Steward said, “We just wanna get kids to do something with their time. You know what I’m saying, instead of being out there in the streets, they can come out here with us. Our family’s like a family — we’re all family, and we will treat you and love you like you’re our own child.”

Fields asks that kids bring their birth certificate and a pair of cleats to the tryout.