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The Cookeville Youth Football program has joined a new conference after being banned from the Middle Tennessee Youth Football Conference two weeks ago.
The Tennessee Youth Football Alliance (TYFA) has agreed to add the Cookeville program as it’s 11th team.
Brian Jernigan is the commissioner of the Cookeville Youth Football program.
“This was a short notice type thing and they were willing to open up their arms and accept us,” Jernigan said. “They had to do a lot of work to get us in and we had to do a lot of work in a two or three day span. I am eternally grateful for TYFA.”
TYFA includes teams from the Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, and Lebanon areas. The Cookeville teams will begin play this weekend.
Jernigan said this isn’t the first time the Cookeville program has been a part of the Tennessee Youth Football Alliance.
“We used to be in the conference from the mid 2000s all the way up until 2012,” Jernigan said. “It’s a little bit more competition because you are playing teams from the boro.”
The Middle Tennessee Youth Football Conferences dismissed the Cookeville youth program from the league two weeks ago for failing to follow conference rules.
“It was a difference of opinions in ongoing things,” Jernigan said. “It’s sad an unfortunate event that it took place, but we are Cookeville strong and we rallied around the kids to get this done.”
