Tamaqua Area School Board is looking at starting a seventh and eighth grade softball program in the spring, allowing more students to get involved in the sport earlier.

Superintendent Ray Kinder said the district does not have a junior varsity program, and softball in the region is extremely strong.

“These schools that our kids compete against, all or most of them, have a junior high program,” he told the board at a committee meeting Tuesday.

“So, it’s giving our girls an opportunity to compete and the opportunity to improve so that they can compete against these state champions that have a program,” Kinder said.

Athletic Director Mike Hromyak said the head softball coach Tony Zancofsky wants to help develop a program at the seventh and eighth grade level to get students involved and learn what he’s teaching.

About 15 to 17 girls expressed an interest at the end of the school year, and Hromyak believes they will get at least that many involved in the program.

“The interest is there,” he said. “The only offering that we have in the spring for both boys and girls is track. So, this would give the girls another opportunity for something else to do in the springtime.”

If the board gives the program the go-ahead, Hromyak said they would be relying on parents and boosters for funding in the first year.

One of the costs is for umpires, he said, and they would probably only need one umpire for the junior high games. The cost for one umpire is $90, Hromyak said, and using one is common in the league.

“The Schuylkill League does have a league with nine teams in it,” he said. “They’ve been going pretty steady for several years. There is room in the schedule for us to join in.”

They play on Saturdays and some Wednesday games, Hromyak said, so there would be limited conflict with varsity teams for field availability. They would also consider doing work on the field at the Tamaqua Elementary to give them another field to practice on, he said.

The coach’s daughter has also volunteered to coach in the first year of the program, as it gets started, Hromyak said.

“Our expenses are primarily in transportation and umpires,” he said. “And if he includes a coaching salary in there, we’re probably looking at between $3,000 and $4,000 down the road to add this program to our sports offerings.”

Board President Larry Wittig said he thinks it’s great that they have a coach that wants to do more work.

“I really think that sports in general, as you know, has been taking it on the chin, with COVID and everything, and I think this is going to help us a lot,” he said.

“I really think if we have to fund it from here on, so be it,” Wittig said.

A formal proposal for the program will be presented to the board for adoption in August, Kinder said. This would still give them enough time to put the program together for the spring, he said.