TRENTON Professional football is back in Trenton this afternoon as the Trenton Freedom kick off their season at the Sun National Bank Center at 2 p.m., but this first-year team is planning on competing right from the start.

Featuring a roster of players from all different walks of life, the Freedom have a lot of experience and speed, and a lot of players with aspirations of the Arena Football League and even the NFL.

Fostering an environment where family comes first has been important in the teams mission for this first season, especially with so many players that might not be with the team for the entire season.

We want them to use us as a stepping stone, team general manager and part-owner Megan Williams said.

The Freedoms going to be here, but these guys hopefully wont be, and hopefully in a good way. Because we want them to be able to progress with their careers and that kind of stuff, and we want to be able to give them the tools that they need, work on whatever it is thats holding them back.

The team, which has only had a few weeks to practice together and get to know each other, has gelled nicely to this point and looks like it is ready to step right in and compete.

I think were ready, I think were prepared, Freedom head coach Kevin OHanlon said. We had to make some changes, injuries, and just guys not fitting in and not playing where we needed them to be. But I think were ready to go.

I think theyre really tight, theres a lot of camaraderie. Theyre always doing something together, which is nice. Us providing them with transportation, they get to do some things together from time to time, which is nice instead of just being locked up in their rooms.

The players are ready to get on the field, as a lot of them are looking to jump from the Freedom to a higher-level football league like the AFL or the NFL.

I scratch your back, you scratch mine, defensive back Muhammad Shamsid-Deen said. Im here for the community, to make sure Trenton gets back on the map, and Im hoping to go to the next level, and thats the NFL. I feel that the coaches are great here, they know what theyre doing. They know how to accommodate players, and thats a big aspect of the game.

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Trenton Freedom ready to kick off inaugural season