Call it Football 101.

Beginning on Sunday, and continuing through April 26, the coaching staffs of both the peewee and bantam Prince Albert River Riders are putting on a football program.

The program, officially called Trainhard 2, is designed to teach kids the fundamentals of football.

"Basically what it is, is an introduction to football," said peewee River Riders coach Wendell Whitter. "Some kids are really eager to play, but they've never played before. So we need to teach them the ABCs of the game before they actually put the equipment on and go out there."

However, the clinic isn't only for those new to the game of football.

"It also helps with the condition of players who've played before," said Whitter. "What happens is some of these kids, especially the bigger guys, don't play a lot of sports in the winter. So this gives them something to do in the off-season to get them in shape."

And while the program undoubtedly helps the players - rookies and veterans alike - it also serves as a good scouting tool for the River Riders coaching staffs.

"When we get to tryouts we only have three, maybe four, days to have a look at these kids and pick a team," said Whitter. "And if (during tryouts) you have to teach every kid everything ... you get far behind. So with this program we can teach them and get a look at them early."

This is the second year for the Trainhard program, and Whitter says that so far the turnout has been solid.

"Last year was phenomenal," he said. "We had over 90 kids involved - about 45 in peewee and 45 in bantam. We're expecting to get the same kind of numbers this year. But if we don't, that's not a problem. I know for a fact some of my returning players are chomping at the bit to get going, and others really want to finish their hockey seasons instead of coming out. And that's understandable."

The Trainhard 2 session will be held most Sundays at Carlton Comprehensive High School.

Anyone interested in enrolling in the program should visit www.riverridersfootball.com. The deadline for online registration is Friday.

However if you miss it, don't worry. Whitter says the last chance for signing up is ultimately Sunday.

"We are allowing kids to register from 12-12:30 p.m. at Carlton," he said. "But they need to come prepared to fill out forms, pay their fees and be ready with their gym clothes."