2006 was a successful year for Football New Brunswick. 2,266 players, coaches and  officials were registered. This represents growth of 6% over the 2,141 registered in 2005.  This does not include the 700 participants in high school football who are not members of Football New Brunswick but still rely on FNB to certify their coaches and train their officials.

                The Capital Area Minor Football Association (Fredericton) operates an eight team Squirt Flag Football League for youngsters aged 7-9. Capital Area Minor also runs a six team Mosquito Tackle League for 9-11 year olds. In 2006 Moncton had a six team Atom Tackle League for players aged 10-11 and a Mosquito Tackle League for players aged 8-9. Also in 2006 Fundy Minor (Saint John) had an Atom Flag League for youth ages 7-11.
                 Fundy Minor (7 teams) and Moncton Football (6 teams) both operate PeeWee Tackle Programs for  youth aged 12-13. Capital Area Minor operates a 6 team Middle School Tackle League. Fundy started the Sussex Scotia Spartans in 2006. Capital Area began the Oromocto Tigers in 2006. The Calais-St. Stephen Silverados won the New Brunswick Championship and the Bob Pierce Memorial Trophy with a 33-0 win over the Salisbury Silver Foxes. The Silverados fell 44-8 to the Halifax North End Argos in the Maritime Championship game played at Rocky Stone Field in Moncton.
                Capital Area Minor (3 teams), Fundy Minor (7 teams) and Moncton Football (7 teams) all operate Bantam Tackle Programs for youth aged 14 and 15. The Calais-St. Stephen Silverados won the provincial championship and the Samuel Babb Bowl with a 44-6 victory over the Fredericton Junior Black Kats. The Silverados represented New Brunswick in the Maritime Bantam Championship game played at Rocky Stone Field in Moncton. They defeated the Annapolis Valley Bulldogs 56-14 to claim the Ed Edmonds Cup.  
                 Capital Area Minor and Fundy Minor operated 13 & Under, 15 & Under and 17 & Under programs in the spring of 2006. Moncton Football Association ran three team leagues for Bantam (ages 12-14) and 
Midget (ages 15-17). 
                   In 2006, it's sixth season of existence, the New Brunswick Football Conference operated as part of  the Maritime Football League. The "SJ" Seadogs were granted official "club" status at the University of New Brunswick Saint John campus and thus changed their name to the U.N.B.S.J. Wolves Tackle Football Club. The Saint John Wanderers won the the NBFC championship and the G. Percy Burchill Trophy with a hard fought 36-33 victory over the Riverview Mustangs. The Wanderers went on to win the MFL championship in Maritime Bowl V by a count of 52-26 over the Dartmouth Knights and thus laid claim to the McIntyre Cup for the third time in four years..
                  2006 was the third year for the New Brunswick Women's Football League. The league grew from three to four teams with the admission of the Halifax Xplosion. The league changed its name to the Maritime Women's Football League. The Capital Area Lady Gladiators were victorious 20-8 over the Halifax Xplosion in Maritime SupHer Bowl III.  With the win they took possession of the Judy Upward Trophy. 
                  Football New Brunswick provided support to its members programs in a number of ways. In the area of Awards, championship Banners and gold and silver Medals were supplied to PeeWee, Bantam and Women's. A championship banner was also provided for the NBFC. Championship Banners and gold and silver Medals were also supplied, courtesy of Riddell, for the Maritime PeeWee and Bantam Championship games. Fair Play banners were given to one team in each of PeeWee (Dieppe Alouettes), Bantam (Northside Junior Lions) and High School (St. Stephen Spartans). Football N.B. also paid for officials for the provincial PeeWee and Bantam semi-final and championship games. FNB subsidized travel costs to Halifax for 15 & Under teams from Moncton and Capital Area. Total cost of these programs in 2006 was $7,800.   
                  Football New Brunswick Bursaries were awarded to graduating high school football players Richard Philips of Riverview High, Will Haley of Oromocto High and Jon Oliver of Simonds High. Total cost to Football New Brunswick for 2006 was $900. 
                  In Coaching Development  a Novice & Level 1 Learning Facilitator Certification clinic was held in Moncton in April. Six people were certified. Previous to this only one person had been qualified to give these courses. That person had moved to Alberta in 2005. Football New Brunswick paid the registration costs of coaches attending the Boston Football Coaches Clinic. Football N.B. contributed $2,300 to Coaching Development in 2006.
                   New Brunswick's football officials held Level 1 clinics in Moncton and Fredericton. Football New Brunswick contributed $1,500 towards Officials Development in 2006.
                   Football New Brunswick spent over $18,000 on liability and accident Insurance for its members in 2006 as well as spending $6,700 on memberships in Football Canada and Sport New Brunswick.
                   No organization can operate without its volunteers. Some sort of recognition of their efforts is key to its long term success. Football New Brunswick held its Annual Awards banquet in April 2006 in Saint John. Lifetime Service Awards were given to Stewart and Patti Fraser of Moncton, Larry Wisniewski and Elizabeth MacFarlane of Fredericton, Kevin and Carolyn Clifford of Saint John and Rusty and Gisele Kirkpatrick of Saint John. O.J. Burnett of Fredericton was chosen as PeeWee Volunteer of the Year. Ed O'Neill of Hampton was selected as Bantam Volunteer of the Year. Sheri Adams of Moncton won the Gridiron Award for Outstanding Service to Football. Net cost of this event was $3,400. 
                  Football N.B. spent $250 on it's 8th Annual Pass, Punt and Kick Competition at Mount Allison University in Sackville.    

                    For 2007  a number of initiatives are underway to increase participation levels. Moncton Football has plans for a Bantam team at Odyssee, the new French high school that opened in Moncton in the fall of 2005. As well efforts are underway to organize minor football in Amherst, Nova Scotia. Capital Area Minor is considering starting an 8 man Bantam League to supplement its current 12 man league. Fundy Minor Football is planning to add a Bantam team in Sussex to complement the PeeWee team that began operations in 2006. Fundy will also be trying to get a new Atom Tackle League for 10-11 year olds going for 2007. Football New Brunswick has allocated $5,000 to assist with expansion of the game into areas of the province where it is presently not played.
                    Efforts are underway to organize province wide Spring Developmental Football Leagues in the 
17 & Under, 15 & Under, 13 & Under and 11 & Under age categories. It is hoped that the creation of these leagues will lead to establishment of Provincial Teams with significant representation from all areas of the province that will compete in regional and national competitions in the future.
                    Now that there are Novice & Level 1 Learning Facilitators in each area, Novice and Level 1 clinics will be held in 2007 to certify the backlog of coaches requiring training.            
                    There will be Level 1 Tackle Football Officials Clinics in Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John before the 2007 season. The New Brunswick Football Officials Association will be holding Level 2, 3 and 4 upgrade clinics in May 2007 in Sackville.
                    Football New Brunswick is in the process of developing a number of policies. An 
"Abuse and Harassment Policy" and a "Volunteer Screening Policy" have been developed and adopted. For 2007 committees will be formed to develop policies on "Conflict of Interest", "Discipline and Appeals", "Personal Information Protection" and "Code of Conduct".  
                      As well a five year Strategic Plan will be developed in 2007-8.

Dan Fearon, President
Football New Brunswick
April 7, 2007