They rumble out in a rainbow of jerseys, the Raiders, Crusaders, Invaders, Spartans, Sabres and more -- the distillation of London high school football and beyond into a single entity known as the London Beefeaters. The Ontario Football Conference team has taken on a panache where once a vow of poverty seemed more in keeping with an amateur club always flirting with extinction.

There is order, even -- dare it be said -- a professionalism connected with the operation.

Much of it has to do with reorganization and structure created by former president Doug Dittmer and his successor, financial man Bill Geris. On the field, the presence of veteran London football mind Mike Circelli and his eight-man coaching staff are working toward a title of some kind and the 45 players on the John Paul II secondary school practice field are testimony to that.

More players are due in before the season opener here Aug. 9, some later. Circelli welcomes new tryouts. The Beefeaters went 3-5 last season but he's all about winning and that's unacceptable.

As colleague Ryan Pyette can tell you, football is sound at the minor levels in London and the Beefeaters are becoming an extension of it. Where once it was difficult to get a quorum at a Beefs practice, players are now prepared to come from near and far after long work-days to train four evenings a week.

There are players from Chatham and Sarnia. Brian Zuzek comes from Beamsville. Bill Brekelmans lives in Ingersol, works in Oakville and makes the trek regularly.

Multi-talented Stefan Williams is fine for the moment but wonders, once he begins classes at Toronto's Seneca College in September, how he'll get to practices.

They all manage somehow.

In many respects, junior football is the essence of amateur sports. They pay, in various ways, to play. Compared to university ball, they don't get a lot of recognition.

But that's changing.

From the time the Beefeaters couldn't muster enough players for a road trip --and subsequently suspended operations -- to the present model is the difference between steerage and first-class.

Last season the team managed some fan turnouts in the 450 range at John Paul, where the club was involved in the installation of lights and an irrigation system. That kind of attendance was enough to kill the Canadian Baseball League, but filling the seats is pretty upscale for a team that once basically drew only family members and girl friends.

President Bill Geris is impressed with the turnout of players and notes that the club can add more to the middle of August. The other night, for example, a large lad named Bobby Ocovich, 20, returned to the JP II field where he played high school ball, looking to play again.

Assistant coach Brad Winder greeted him as warmly as you might expect a coach to greet a six-foot-three, 250-pounder. The Beefeaters could well end up with a 50-man roster, almost unheard-of a few years back.

Geris says the St-Leonard (Que.) Cougars will be strong, Windsor Fratmen will be their usual competitive selves and Ottawa Junior Riders have improved. The other team in the loop is the Burlington Braves.

But life is never easy in the OFC. This week it became clear incoming franchise Toronto Titans wouldn't be operating, creating rescheduling problems.

"I asked someone how many storms do we have to withstand," OFC president Paul Bartle said. "Somebody said, 'That's why we have a strong backbone.'

"It's coming, though. I'm confident we'll have six teams next year and can get rid of the byes in the schedule. I'd like to see eight teams in our league eventually."

The presence of the Varsity and Central Ontario Football Leagues might ensure it.