PEORIA — The Washington JFL program has a new name and a new youth football league affiliation.
Washington ended its longtime membership with the Junior Football League of Central Illinois and announced it has joined the Bloomington Area Football League.
Morton and Dee-Mack JFL programs have also withdrawn from the JFLOCI. Morton is headed to Bloomington with Washington, and Dee-Mack to the JFL Heart of Illinois league.
In the wake of losing those programs, Peoria’s JFL operation says it has added a large youth football program in Springfield for the coming season.
Washington – now named Washington Youth Football – and Morton programs both feel Bloomington offers a better situation for developing and preparing young players for their high school programs.
“We had to evaluate and look at how can we send athletes to the high school program more prepared to play there, how can we help them be more competitive was the issue,” said Nick Racich, the Washington Youth Football program director. “So I met with high school coaching staff and advisors inside and outside Washington, like Coach Darrell Crouch, Coach Cody Myers at Dee-Mack, others, and they all said these were the moves they wanted to see from this program for years.
“My board and I were not satisfied with the direction of JFLOCI, the decisions being made, which seemed to benefit specific programs. I want to improve all the teams. Make the area better for JFL and through that widening development attract more colleges down here, create more opportunities for our kids when they reach high school teams.”
Racich said JFLOCI requires players to pay fees to the league. He says no league fees exist for Bloomington, creating a significant operational cost savings.
“Bloomington believes in independent operation of a program,” Racich said. “You stand on your own.”
Washington can control its own expenses – the program says it spends $7,000-$15,000 per season for pants, jerseys and to re-condition or add new helmets. Finding their own deals and making those decisions work better for the program.
Morton followed, as it made sense for two towns so close to each other to raise future high school football players in the same league with the same philosophy.
“We made the decision (Thursday, May 28),” Morton JFL at-large board member Craig McMurtry said. “It didn’t come lightly. We thought about it, studied it, and saw it was best for us.”
Morton’s program has at least six tackle football teams, with possibly two teams in some of the grade divisions. It has six to eight flag football teams as well and serves about 300 kids overall.
Washington’s program has about 600 kids scattered over flag (starting at age 5), tackle (grades 3-8) and cheer programs.
“Bloomington feeds into some pretty good high school football programs,” Racich said. “There’s no benefit to us playing JFL with Farmington and teams like that. We need to gear our program to preparing kids for what they are going to see in high school.
“We will be in a league with Rochester, Chatham Glenwood, Williamsville, Morton, and three in-city Bloomington teams.”
Peoria moves on, adding the Illinois United Springfield JFL program to its lineup.
“We wish Washington and Morton and everyone else good luck,” said Monte Kenney, the Peoria JFLOCI board president who has remained at his program’s helm in service long after his own kids aged out of it. “We hope they get what they want with the new league. We have our own views.
“Leaving is their choice.”
2025 controversy
The JFLOCI landed in controversy last October when it determined a playoff spot by a coin flip in a situation that left one of Washington’s youth teams out of the postseason.
The decision set off reactions on social media that ranged from accusations of unfairness, to corruption and attempts by the JFL to clarify a system misunderstood by some.
“As many have pointed out, our league is and will always be focused on the kids,” the JFLOCI said in a statement last fall. “There was absolutely no ill intent in this process, and we understand the disappointment that both teams could not advance to the postseason.”
There were some operational differences, too. Racich says JFLOCI requires independent athletic trainers to buy insurance coverage protecting JFLOCI, an expensive proposition that reduces the number of professionals willing to work with these youth teams. No such requirement exists in the Bloomington league.
An information meeting, with Q&A session included, was staged May 31 at Washington High School’s football field with Bloomington Area Football League director Brian Segobiano in attendance.
“The Washington Youth Football Board apologizes for the late notice regarding this transition (to a new league),” Washington’s JFL board communicated in an informational flyer posted on social media. “This was not originally planned to happen at this time, but circumstances required an immediate decision.”
About the 2026 fall season
The 2026 season will be eight regular-season weeks, with a playoff system possibly added.
Washington is guaranteed four home games, one nearby road game, and three longer-distance road games.
Games will be played primarily on Saturdays. The official schedule will be released this month.
The setup will be the same for Morton.
Dee-Mack, meanwhile, is heading into the JFLHOI, with competition against smaller programs in the Peoria area.
About the Bloomington league
How the program helps Washington
Registration fees will decrease beginning with the fall of 2027.
The Washington program gains more operational independence and flexibility.
The program becomes better aligned with the vision, expectations and direction of Washington High School football.
In the end zone
Washington’s flag football program will compete in a six-week season alongside Morton Youth Football.
Also: full refunds will be processed through June 15 for any family that wants to withdraw from the Washington program. Partial refunds will be implemented after that.
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star senior writer and sports columnist, and covers Bradley men’s basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Why 3 programs ended membership with a Peoria youth football league
Reporting by Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
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By Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star | USA TODAY Network
