It's a very interesting subject and I would say it has to do with various factors in today's world, I haven't looked but I wonder if other sports are going through a same decline? Youth burnout? Fear or concussions? With the emphasis put on earning scholarships in today's society, sports are becoming more like a job for kids on the youth level which could be running a lot out and could be an answer if we continue to see smaller numbers over the years. On the surface 10,000 seems like a huge amount but in the grand scheme of kids playing football it's less than a 1% drop, I just hope it is not a trend that continues into the future for the game we all love.