Ask many longtime youth football supporters and they will tell you how rich in history and tradition Hallandale Beach has been.

However, due to a small youth population and a lack of interest in the sport, the City of Hallandale decided to drop football in the early 1970s, forcing youngsters to play in Hollywood, Miami-Dade County and Ives Estates.

For 24 years, Hallandale’s three athletic fields remained quiet on Saturday afternoons as residents left to participate in other programs.

Longtime resident Julius Brown decided to do something about it. He contacted some of the people who had grown up and played in Hallandale’s original program. In 1998, with four teams, the Hallandale Chargers were born. The teams wore old high school uniforms and played at the old junior high (Hallandale Adult Center).

“It was great to see the return of the program, but it was done without planning,” longtime coach and current league rep Allen Cleare said. “While plenty of people put in a lot of work and time, the league was built on a shaky foundation.”

As Cleare and others remained with the team, giving the program some of its old identity back was the next step. Three years ago, the program took back the Vikings name, and while there was plenty of optimism, there was still much to do. That’s where the city stepped in.

City Manager Mike Good, Mayor Joy Cooper and her commissioners as well as the Hallandale Beach Police Department said that they could make a real difference by having the backing of the Hallandale Beach Police Athletic League.

“[Police] Chief Tom Magill and Mike Good felt that if we got involved, ran the league in every way, things would start to take off,” said Patrick Seales, the director of the Hallandale Beach PAL.

Magill, Seales, Martin Shorkey and William Garrett have jumped into this football season in a way where changes already are evident.

From air-conditioned buses for travel, to a solid paper and financial trail, things are starting to look up for a program that now has six teams, 190 players and more than 80 cheerleaders.

“This is great to see,” said Mike Anderson, who not only coached in the league, but also played in the early 1970s. “For something to be positive and work, you need organization. I think we have that now.”

Seales and the Hallandale Beach PAL have planned a Cigar Night on Oct. 4 where Marlins’ manager Jack McKeon will be the major attraction.

“We have plans to build a facility like they have in Hollywood as well as back other sports,” Seales said. “We know that this will take time, but there is finally something in place that will have structure.”

GIL WINS TITLE

Three years ago, when her family lived in Tennessee, Cindy Gil spent much of her time on tennis courts in Florida. Now that they are living in Hollywood, the Gil family is still seldom together at home.

In the final week of August, Gil, 13, her mother Sharon Gil and sister Cassey, 9, were on the road in Kansas City for the National Youth Tennis Championships.

Gil, who is home-schooled by her mother, won the girls’ 12-13 title after losing her opening round match to Talia Munroe of Michigan.

“I jumped out to a big lead in that first match,” Cindy Gil said. “I thought that I lost that match more than her winning it.”

Sent to the losers’ bracket, Gil would have to win five times to reach the title match against the same Maria Brackens of Colorado that she played last year in Charlotte. She defeated Brackens 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the first match and then rallied to win the title after losing the first game and scoring a 6-4, 6-2 victory.

BODYBUILDING

On Sept. 26 the third Greater Hollywood Bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness competitions will take place in more than 20 categories with first, second, third and overall winners named. NPC Sanctioned Level 3 competitions will begin with prejudging at 10 a.m. at the Hollywood Performing Arts Center, 1770 Monroe St. The evening show finals will start at 3. Tickets are $15-$25. Sponsorships are available. Entry fees are $40 for the first category and competitors can participate in multiple categories for $25 each. All entrants must be members of NPC. Guest Poser is Jim Karas.

For more information and reservations, contact DKMC, Inc., 954-923-4343.

West Pines wins

The West Pines All-Stars 8-under team won the Pinto Division championship at a recent MVP Tournament in Lake Worth.

West Pines faced competition from across South Florida, winning six of the seven games in the tournament to take the title.

The tournament win capped a five-tournament summer season for the team, where they either won or were runners-up.

West Pines coach Frank Cordoves is assisted by Cliff Heim, Gil Rosado and Jerry Finch.

Larry Blustein can be reached at 954-894-3267 or via e-mail . Joe Luciano also contributed to this report.