The Leprechauns Sports Association held a three day football camp last week at Monkiewicz Playground (3201 Richmond St). The camp launched the 55th year of Leprechauns sports in the neighborhood of Port Richmond.

On each day of the camp, Leprechauns coaches welcomed a different high school football staff to come to practice and work with their young, local football players. Coaches and representatives from Roman Catholic, Mastbaum, Father Judge and Archbishop Ryan High Schools came out over the course of the three day camp.

For 55 years, the Leprechauns Sports Association has brought a winning tradition to the young and budding athletes of the Riverwards. John “Herbie” Smith founded the non-profit community sports organization in 1961 at the old Ancients of Hyberians Div. 87 hall. Smith and a group of members began floating around the idea of bringing football back to the neighborhood during a time when football’s popularity seemed to be dwindling in the area.

The club didn’t have much equipment back then, just one well-worn football. But what the association did have was an identity— when Smith asked thirty ninety-pounders, “Do you know what your name is?” before the team’s inaugural season over half-century ago, they responded in thunderous uniformity: “Yeah! The Leprechauns!”

The Leprechauns are now accepting registration for the the 2016 season for both football and cheerleading. Sign up online at http://leprechaunsysa.wix.com/leps or call 215-423-6309.