Mark Biderman has always loved football, so it was no surprise that when his playing days were numbered he looked into other endeavors.
His latest is coach and co-owner, as he and wife, Susan Moore, recently started a new Arizona Football League franchise in the West Valley, the Buckeye Warriors.
"I've been playing in the AzFL for the last couple, three years," Biderman said. "At 46, the wife was forcing me into retirement. It was either coach, or own, and I was like, 'Why don't I just do both?' So this is my chance to give back to the community."
Biderman's charitable heart comes from his playing days following high school when a former coach of his in Illinois gave him a shot to play professionally. That's why he wants to give back to youngsters today.
"I played pro, and I got a shot into the pros because of my high school coach," Biderman said. "He got an offer to coach in the USFL [United States Football League] as a defense coach, and I played defense in high school. I came on as a walk-on, went through training camp and he signed me on to the team because I was good enough to play."
Now he wants to afford others the opportunity to get a break.
"I want to give the kids that are coming out of high school, and ones that are still young enough and able to make the pros, give them their chance to show what they can do," Biderman said. "The teams do get scouted by college and arena leagues, and by the professional leagues as well. This is their chance to show what they've got and my chance to give it to them, to give back what was offered to me when I was young."
The AzFL is a men's league, so younger players have to be able to rough it up with grown adults. The league tightly controls who gets in, Moore said.
"The league personally interviews the children and parents to make sure they're aware of the risk, because they are playing against 300-pound adults," Moore said. "But if there isn't a venue in high school where they can play, or they get cut from the team or are home-schooled, it gives them another avenue."
Moore added that their Buckeye team likes to work with high schools, not only to give youngsters a second chance but to keep them out of trouble.
"Our goal is to reach out to those kids, keep them off the streets, keep them off drugs, give them a place to play," she said. "Especially the kids just out of high school. They don't have anywhere else to go if they're not going to college."
The age range of most players in the league is between 18 and 45, Moore said.
Non profit
Biderman and Moore put together the team as a non-profit organization. They plan on doing community service work.
"We made it a non-profit, so that way any donations are tax deductible for our sponsors," Moore said. "We'll do community service, car washes to help pay for the player fees, community outreach, and we're talking to the fire stations and DPS to get involved. So it's a community effort."
Biderman hopes to have between 35 and 45 players on the team, but he won't cut it off at that if more people want to play. In fact, he said everyone who pays will see playing time.
"We're real big into family ideals, you're not just a player, not just a number," Biderman said. "If you're part of the team, you're part of the family. That's how I was brought up and coached, and I admire that, so of course I'm going to spread it on them."
Right now there are only eight members of the team, but the last season just ended and the 2010 campaign doesn't begin until January.
A full coaching staff is on board, headed by Biderman, who will also serve as the defensive coordinator. Torrie Brown is the offensive coordinator, and Gene Bruce is the special teams coach.
Although Biderman's game-playing days are over, he'll still suit up while practicing with his team.
"I still have all my gear and I'm going to go out there," he said. "When it comes time to doing our hitting drills, I'll pad up with the guys, 'cause I believe in leading by example, and so does the rest of my coaching staff. We're not just going to tell them how it's done, we're going to show them how it's done."
Practices start in September, with the season beginning some time in January. There are scrimmages beforehand, and playoffs after the regular season, which is generally a 10-12 game schedule.
"So by the time it's all said and done you're looking at a five-, six-month program with anywhere from 16-20 games, so it's like a regular NFL program."
Anyone interested in playing can contact Biderman by phone at 623-552-1581, or visit the team Web site at www.buckeyewarriors.net.
Casey Pritchard can be reached by e-mail at cpritchard@westvalleyview.com.
