High school football numbers rise in Kansas and Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – The game of football is growing in the Kansas City metro. According to data KCTV5 obtained from the Kansas and Missouri state high school athletic associations, both states have seen an increase in participation from five years ago.

“I think the safety of the game has never been better,” said Bishop Miege head coach Jon Holmes.

Football has changed over the last decade – with an emphasis on player safety.

“You go to practices, you see completely different techniques. You’re not tackling a lot of the practice anymore. There’s not a lot of physical contact and banging around,” Holmes said.

Both Kansas and Missouri have seen the number of players who play football rise. In Missouri, 21,910 students signed up to play football in 2023 – which is 1,445 more kids than in 2018. Kansas’ most recent data was from 2022. That year, 15,477 kids signed up to play football. That’s more than 816 players more than five seasons before.

“It’s a very physical game, but I think people feel comfortable now about how the game is being taught, how the game is being officiated,” said Mark Lentz, KSHSAA’s Assistant Executive Director.

“You used to see all these big hits. That’s a flag now,” said Holmes. “You’re not teaching that. You’re not teaching leading with the head.”

The emphasis on safety is meant to keep players healthy, so kids and parents are more at ease with the sport.

“It’s still about blocking, tackling, what you get out of the game, and what the game brings not only to an individual, but a team, a school, and a community,” Lentz said.

But make no mistake about it – a big factor in the growth of the game is the success of the Kansas City Chiefs, who have won two Super Bowls in the last four seasons.

“That doesn’t hurt things, to have a great NFL team in your city, to where our numbers have grown in the state, so that’s been big,” said Holmes.

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