News item: The National Federation of State High School Associations reported recently that the number of 11-player football participants is down 6.5 percent from it 2009-10 peak. It still translates into more than one million participants — still the most popular sport among high school boys — thus becoming a wink and a nod to Mark Twain's old line about how one's death may be greatly exaggerated.

Ah, but once again, the truth has fallen into perception's abyss. In April of 2019, Forbes Magazine reported that University of Washington School of Medicine researchers released a survey of 1,025 parents (55 percent of them mothers, 45 percent fathers) nationwide finding 61 percent of parents supported bans on youth tackle football.

But what if our corner of the world just stumbled into a COVID-related answer that might actually increase participation in youth football?

Turns out that sometimes, unintended consequences are positive, too.

The Eastern Connecticut Conference, in response to the new abnormal, became the first league in the state to present "football related activities" to its constituency. In lieu of a fall season (we still hope for the spring, remember), the ECC offers 7 on 7 passing and "linemen challenges" to give the kids and coaches at least a sniff of Friday Night Lights.

Now for the "what if" part.

What if this ECC paradigm became a regional model for the new face of youth football? The 7 on 7 concept is competition for skill position players, including the vagaries of reading coverages, route running and pass defense. Meanwhile, linemen get to score points for their teams with a series of in-game challenges, all while learning the concepts of blocking, tackling and technique in practice using sleds and other equipment in practice.

This idea (theoretically anyway) would mitigate parental fears over contact and concussions.

"I think it would boost participation," said Waterford coach John Strecker, who led the Lancers to the playoffs last year, despite perpetual participation concerns on youth and high school levels in his town and program.

"I think there are a lot kids out there who want to play whose parents don't want them to because they're worried about concussions. I've been trying to get a no-contact youth football thing going in Waterford. There are a lot of places where the kids don't hit until they're in high school, which is the model we should be shooting for.

"In this format, you can tackle bags and tackling donuts. You can block a bag. It's a yard apart, form blocking and you block the bag. You can definitely do it."

We pause here to acknowledge the groans from more traditional football advocates, who believe physical contact is part of the game. They are correct. Except that their views are becoming part of the minority. If they don't adjust to more modern perceptions about the dangers of football — as snowflake-ish as they may seem — participation numbers aren't going to improve.

And they must improve.

In that spirit, is there an organizer or two among us who can summon youth football people from all over the region — from Woodstock to Stonington — to talk about this? To form a region-wide non-contact league? Again: It's not ideal. But if a new format got more kids playing, everybody wins.

"Look at what's happening in our country," said Ledyard assistant principal/athletic director Jim Buonocore, who played youth, high school and college football and coached it at New London, Stonington, Fitch and Ledyard.

"Numbers are dropping because parents are hesitant. To create or keep interest, we need to provide an alternative, such as what we're doing (in the ECC). It's non-contact competition — but we are still teaching and developing a football skill set during the week. As the kids get older, their bodies develop, and they have the appropriate foundation built within the sport, they will be much more prepared for the contact piece."

Stand back, Buonocore is rolling now.

"You look at these 8U or 10U teams and wonder if full contact is helpful or harmful to our sport. I believe player development can occur in football without full contact, so why not utilize a different formula during the younger years? I think if the focus was on teaching technique and skills in those younger years, once they get to contact football, you may see injuries decrease. The bottom line is 11v11 tackle football is extremely popular in our country in high school, college and the pros from an interest and spectator standpoint. But when you see the trend of decreasing numbers in youth football, you have to be a little concerned."

This is not reinventing the wheel (or wheel route in this case) either. There are many hybrid models in flag football that involve live blocking within the 7 on 7 concept. We just aren't seeing much of it here. And the numbers remain an issue.

But they don't have to be for long.

So let's go, football people. COVID has necessitated a new model that the ECC has adopted. It works here. It would work in youth football, would increase youth numbers and allay parental fears.

"I hope," Strecker said, "that parents out there who can't come to the 7 on 7 games are at least watching what we're doing as a league on the computer."

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro