The Watts Bears Win the Los Angeles County Pop Warner Southern Section Conference NR16367ma

Watts: The Watts Bears are the 2016 Pop Warner Junior Varsity Southern Section Conference Champs!

The Los Angeles Police Department’s Community Safety Partnership has partnered with the Housing Authority to field a team of boys from the Nickerson Gardens, Imperial Courts, and Jordan Downs Public Housing Developments. The Watts Bears football team is comprised of some of talented hard working, young men, ranging in age from ages 8 to 13 year old. The team was created in an effort to provide a safe and positive outlet for well deserving kids who may not have an opportunity to play football. To be eligible to participate, the kids have to meet certain standards in school.

Coaching the team are LAPD Officers Grant Goosby, Otis Swift, Zarren Thompson and James Holliman. The officers use sports as a vehicle to introduce and reinforce the concept of strong character, positive values, personal responsibility and academic excellence. The coaches stress structure, discipline, team spirit, friendship, and positive competition. This season the team beat Palos Verdes in the conference playoff game to take the title of “Conference Champions” for the first time in their six year existence. On Wednesday, November 23, 2016, players from the Watts Bears, who are on break from school, and the coaches, will join LAPD Chief Charlie Beck as his guests at the LAPD Recruit Graduation.