On a sunny but slightly crisp Sunday afternoon, spring sports and activities were in full bloom.

As I drove from the west to the east side of Cedar Rapids, I saw baseball being played at Daniels Park, golfers at St. Andrews, bicyclists aplenty. But there also was football. Yes, football in April.

We’re not talking the Cedar Rapids Titans, who played their Indoor Football League game Saturday night at the Ice Arena. No, it’s elementary-level flag football.

My third-grade grandson had his second game Sunday in the Metro Youth Football Association. It was an afternoon when things came full circle for me. I had coached years ago when the MYFA was in its infancy and then watched my son play a couple years of tackle football. Now, his boy is on the field.

This is a really good organization, not because it has the reputation of turning out loads of college and professional ballplayers. The purpose really is to teach kids a game and give them some fundamentals of a team sport.

At the third and fourth grade level, you have kids who are well ahead and well behind the talent curve. Some take great angles to the ballcarrier while others are confused by the commotion. Some are quick and shifty, others lumber and are unsure of themselves. You can tell the ones who have played catch with Dad in the backyard and others who haven’t.

More times than not, kids improve from the first to last game. For most, it’s their first experience in an organized sport when mom and dad and the grandparents are watching on the sideline. By the end of the season, you can tell their comfort level is much better.

The MYFA complex on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids has three fields, concession stands, bathrooms and a large parking lot. It is 27 acres of land donated in 1979 to the league by Terry Bjornson. Since then, hundreds of volunteers have mowed the grass, planted trees and taken care of the general upkeep.

Volunteer coaches are an essential element to making this work. From what I saw Sunday, coaches did an excellent job of instructing and encouraging their boys. There was no hollering or complaining. They had a book of some pretty good plays, reverses and an occasional pass. They adjusted defenses to what was clearly a perimeter game.

At game’s end, they assembled their team for an exchange of handshakes with the opponent. They had a quick chat about the game, pointing out the good and not so good. With a reminder of two practices next week, coaches sent the boys on their way with sport drink in hand.

I don’t know how many of those boys will be playing high school and college football in the coming years. My guess is for every one of them, there will be at least three or four who will go on to other things.

The MYFA has several distinguished alumni. Some of them were boys who didn’t show much on the field at an early age. But the league can boast most loudly about the sheer experience they gave young boys. And those boys eventually will be able to pass the experience on to their boys.

(Mark Dukes is former sports editor of the Cedar Rapid Gazette. He is co-host of The Gym Class radio show weekdays from 3-4 p.m. on KGYM-AM 1600 and FM-106.3.)