UA Maker Students Compete on Stuyvesant High School’s Football Team

By Colin Cameron

December 3, 2025

 

Urban Assembly Maker Academy and the Murray Bergtraum campus do not offer a tackle football team. As a result, students who want to play the sport have traditionally had no opportunity to do so. That changed with the introduction of a citywide program that allows students to compete for schools that offer sports their own schools do not.

 

The program, called All Access, is open to New York City public high school students whose schools do not provide certain PSAL sports. Through the program, students can play for a nearby school that offers the sport. The initiative was created after a lawsuit argued that it was unfair to deny students access to athletic opportunities based on their school’s offerings.

 

At UA Maker, several students have used the All Access program to play football for Stuyvesant High School, which is the only school in Lower Manhattan with a football team. “It’s actually impacted me really well,” said Marcus Garcia, a 10th grader at UA Maker who plays on Stuyvesant’s junior varsity football team through the All Access program. “I made a lot of friends through it. This is my second year, and it’s been a really good experience.”

 

For some students, football has been a lifelong passion. “If I didn’t have the opportunity to play football, I would be very distraught,” said Denton Wells Jr., an 11th grader at UA Maker who plays both offensive and defensive line for Stuyvesant’s varsity team. “Football is my favorite sport.”

 

The All Access program is relatively new, having launched in 2023. According to school staff, Stuyvesant’s football team has attracted more All Access athletes than many other teams across the city because of its unique location and the lack of nearby football programs. “I think All Access is great,” said Seth Pearce, UA Maker assistant principal and Murray Bergtraum campus athletic director. “It gives Maker students an opportunity to try something they previously couldn’t.”

 

While some have raised concerns that All Access athletes might receive unequal treatment compared to students who attend the host school, the players interviewed said they feel welcomed and supported by teammates and coaches.

 

For many students, access to football is about more than athletics. It provides structure, discipline, and life lessons that extend beyond the field. Former NFL quarterback Tom Brady spoke about these lessons during his Patriots Hall of Fame induction ceremony, saying that football teaches resilience, teamwork, and perseverance, and that success comes from overcoming adversity rather than shortcuts, according to My Modern Met, which reported on his speech.

 

For UA Maker students competing at Stuyvesant, those lessons are now within reach.