The Palatine Amateur Football Association threw a huge kick off party at Community Park Saturday night.
Nearly 500 players and their families as well as nearly 200 cheerleaders and their families celebrated at the
"The night turned out nice," said PAFA president Dave Carver, referring to rains that flooded the Amphitheater area in the morning. "I thought we would have a rough go. Its nice to get all our families together."
PAFA, which began in 1966, draws players from the Palatine area from ages 8 to 14. They are then divided into teams by the same age, weight and ability.
Beth Matijevic has had two players go through the program. Her youngest son Timmy, who is 9, is starting this year.
"The welcomed feeling and the friendliness is great," Matijevic said. "And the coaches make sure that they have safety as the first thing on their minds."
Regular season games begin next week and run through early November. The Palatine JV Big Ten 2 team gave Palatine a fast start on the 2011 campaign as they beat West Chicago 14-6 Saturday in The Wheaton Bowl.
