Host Site Spotlight: Philadelphia Youth Football Academy
Eugene Pough is a coach who has made a profound impact as both an Up2Us Sports Coach, as well as at The Philadelphia Youth Football Academy (PYFA), of which he is a founder and the current Executive Director. PYFA was founded in 2020 and has partnered with Up2Us Sports since the beginning of 2024. Knowledgeable and experienced, he brings with him 18 years of accomplishments, having worked with several mentoring, athletics and youth development nonprofits including IDAAY: Youth & Families First After School and Summer Camp, Roxborough YMCA, Germantown Boys and Girls Club, Concerned Black Men of Philadelphia, and the International Student Athlete Academy. Eugene holds a B.A. in Mass Communication and has nearly completed his M.A. in Sports Administration.
Much like the mission of Up2Us Sports to engage, train and support sports coaches to transform youth, programs and communities, PYFA’s mission “aims to empower youth through 7n7, Flag Football, and other enrichment activities, while focusing on building confidence and teamwork skills. Our initiative engages youth individuals aged 6-18 in structured sports activities that promote physical fitness, non-traditional learning, social interaction, and personal development,” shares Pough.
As part of his role as the Executive Director of PYFA, Pough is currently helping run their fall programming, including their 'Drills and Skills" sessions on Fridays at Waterview Recreation Center. “Our youth are currently partaking in various strength and conditioning drills, along with various football enrichment activities. Our youth condition for half of practice, take breaks and then transition to football drills. They are learning WR, DB and RB routes and plays and are also being mentored by our coaching staff. We also "check in" to see how everyone's overall well-being is. We are preparing our youth for current and future scrimmages, our 2025 Spring season, and for life off the field.”
Eugene completed his coaching term with Up2Us Sports in August 2024, which he said was a great experience and very meaningful. He learned to be more empathetic, and patient and he learned to adapt to today's youth's way of processing and receiving information, especially tech-wise.