WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- Arthur White plays for the Watkins Hornets Pee Wee football team in Southeast D.C. His memories from their national championship last year feel fresh as yesterday.
"It was great the feeling was great," White said.
But the team may not get a chance to defend their title despite earning a spot in the championship. They recently found out they don't have the money to travel down to Florida for the game.
And with the game scheduled for Friday, the clock is running out.
Coach Gerald Gaskins says the team used to play on the Department of Park and Recreation Football League, and DPR paid for their trip to the championship. But this year, the team joined a new league
"We went weeks without games so this year we decided in order to better serve these young men was to get these guys into a league that could accommodate the scheduling," Gaskins said.
Now they can't accommodate the cost, and the players are paying for it
"We put in work on the field and off the field and it's a shame that's we don't have enough money to make it to go to Florida," Terron Kellman, another player on the team, said.
"In society, we're quick to beat kids down and put them in jail and everything when they're doing all the wrong things, but where is the support when yet are doing the right things?" Tammy Jameson, a parent of one of the players said.
How will the team do it? They're not sure. The cost to go to Florida is $30,000 for the entire team. Which is why they're hard at work, asking for help.
"They deserve more, they deserve better," Gaskins said.
You can donate to the team here.
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