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Steelers continue push to return

As the calendar moves towards 2018, the Sault Steelers continue to look towards a return to action
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Preparations continue as the Sault Steelers look to make a return to the Northern Football Conference next summer after a one-year absence.

The Steelers program withdrew from league play in May due to low player numbers at tryouts, but the program is on the way back as the new football season approaches in the spring.

Some familiar faces will be in the mix along with some new players as the program began preparing for a return late last summer.

“It’s a great feeling to be a part of the process of bringing it back,” said longtime Steeler Brandon Lewis. “We’re working hard to promote the team and to reach out to younger football players who want to continue to play.”

For Paul Caldbick, a Steelers resurgence is exciting as the organization has been a part of his life for many years.

“It’s been important to me on a personal level because I’ve been involved with the Steelers on some level since 1981 on and off,” Caldbick said. “It was difficult to watch it not go last year.”

In recruiting players to commit to playing in the summer of 2018, Caldbick said there’s an excitement in talking to prospective players.

“There seems to be a lot of energy,” Caldbick said. “It’s encouraging and exciting. We feel pretty confident that if we keep going and keep building on the momentum that we’ll have a good team and a competitive team come the summertime.”

Lewis called the Steelers absence something that may have drawn players in to playing as well.

“It’s weird to say it, but maybe the fact that (the program) had gone away (played a role in players being interested),” Lewis said. “A lot of players over the course of a few years who said they want to play and at some point are going to play, that time ran out because it was gone, and now those guys are showing interest, which is good. We’re really putting it out there that we want to come back and we want to come back strong.”

With 24 players currently signed, the Steelers hope to head to the NFC annual general meeting in late-January with at least 35 players signed and committed for next season. With upwards of 25 players having also expressed interest in playing but not signed yet, reaching the 35-player goal is within reach.

“After having missed last year, some of the returning players are really excited to be on the field again. They’ve missed it,” Caldbick said. “For some of the newer players, they’re excited because it’s a new challenge for them in their football careers.”

For minor football locally, a Steelers return is a positive as well.

“As a fan of the game, it’s great to have something that you can go watch at a high level that men are still playing and it’s great to have our kids have an option to go to,” said Steve Nott, head coach of the Sault Sabercats varsity team and president of the Sault Amateur Football League. “Some of the kids are succeeding in university but there are always going to be kids that either want to go the college route or go right off to work and still have a passion and love for the game. It’s exciting for us to have those kids graduate and not have to say their goodbyes to the sport.”

Ahead of the NFC AGM, which is set for late-January, the Steelers recruitment push will continue and includes a Sabercats recruitment night on Jan. 19 as the team pushes forward in preparation for the 2018 NFC season.


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Brad Coccimiglio

About the Author: Brad Coccimiglio

A graduate of Loyalist College’s Sports Journalism program, Brad Coccimiglio’s work has appeared in The Hockey News as well as online at FoxSports.com in addition to regular freelance work with SooToday before joining the team full time.
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