Middle school football players in Newark make national championship, but need money to get there

NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- The Newark Brick City Lions Football Team put in long tough hours on the field, demanding nothing but the best and it paid off.

After winning District and Eastern Region Championship titles, they earned a spot at the Pop Warner National Championship Super Bowl in Orlando, Florida.

But, money is standing in the way of their dream of bring home the title.

"You got an opportunity in front of you, you can do something Newark has not seen before," said Curtis Germany, Jr., the team's coach. "We got a big, big road ahead of us and we got a short time to get there."

The team is fundraising, working concession stands and selling donuts to raise the $35,000 they need to pay for the trip.

With just 10 days until the tournament, the 7th, 8th and 9th graders are reaching out to the community for help.

Their GoFundMe page has just a few hundred dollars so far.

"It's hard. We worked really hard for this. We want to go down to Florida," said Andrew Butler, a player.

"I've been playing football since I was a mighty might. I was 3. So this is the first time I ever got to Florida. It's huge for me," said Tahja Mell, a player.

"It would be heartbreaking. They worked so hard. This was their one vision this entire year; the coach's been preaching it. 'We'll get down there we're good enough.' I know a lot of the kids have never even been out of state. So to them this is a dream. It would break my heart if the team couldn't make it down there," said Brad Butler, a parent.

Even with the financial concern, the inner city team refuses to give up; still giving it everything they have at practice. They are hoping people hear their story and help get them to Disney World to prove just how good they are.