Welcome to Del Valle Pop Warner (DVPW). We are part of the Pop Warner Little Scholars (PWLS) organization.  We believe in and share the mission and objectives of the PWLS organization.  

The mission of Pop Warner Little Scholars is to enable young people to benefit from participation in team sports and activities in a safe and structured environment. Through this active participation, Pop Warner programs teach fundamental values, skills and knowledge that young people will use throughout their lives.

Pop Warner seeks to provide fun athletic learning opportunities for children, while emphasizing the importance of academic success.  Specifically, Pop Warner seeks to familiarize players and spirit participants with the fundamentals of football, cheerleading and dance. Pop Warner strives to inspire youth, regardless of race, creed or national origin, to practice the ideals of sportsmanship, scholarship and physical fitness as reflected in the life of the late Glenn Scobie “Pop” Warner.

Objectives:

• To encourage and increase youth participation in football, cheerleading and dance.
• To ensure a safe and positive playing environment for all participants.
• To instill life-long values of teamwork, dedication and a superior work ethic in the classroom and on the playing field.

Positive Experiences:

• Pop Warner programs have no tryouts or cutting of rosters.
• Everyone participates under mandatory rules of play.
• On-field coaching is allowed for younger age levels.
• Individual awards are given only for academic excellence, not for on-field activities.

Safe Playing Environment:

• Players are matched by age and weight levels.
• There are strict mandatory equipment requirements.
• Pop Warner provides Coaching Clinics and Risk Management Training.
• An enforced national rule book incorporates time-tested rules.
• A full-time executive staff supports all local associations and assists in sound policy creation.
  

1.     Who plays on Del Valle Pop Warner?
Del Valle Pop Warner is the Pop Warner franchise for all kids who reside in the Del Valle High School district, we are the primary feeder program for Del Valle ISD.

2.     Are there age and weight limits?

Pop Warner is a weight control football program, which offers precautionary safety measures for the participants. Each participant will be placed in an appropriate age/weight division based on the weight and birthdate provided at time of registration

Once the season begins, each player will be allowed to gain one (1) pound on weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8, for a maximum of four (4) pounds during the season. Players are weighed before each game in pads, however, an equipment weight allotment is given to account for the excess weight.

3.     When is registration?

Registration is from February 1 to July 31.

4.     What is the Cost?

Registration cost is $165 for football and $165 for cheer/dance and ($100will go toward cheer/dance uniforms, Additional child $125) until July 31.  Late registration will require board approval based on team space.  Football registration cost includes two game jerseys (home/away), helmet decals. Cheerleading registration cost includes cheer uniform (top, bottom and bloomers), bow and pom poms. This fee also covers most items needed to run DVPW including: referees, practice field usage, personnel, certified athletic trainers on staff at games and team equipment.

5.     How do I Register?

Registration is done online and during open registration at Del Valle High School. In addition to registering, you will need to provide the following forms prior to the first day of practice.

·         2022 pop warner physical form.pdf

·        2022 pop warner player contract.pdf

·         Full 2018-19 Report Card

·         Copy of Player's Birth Certificate

6.     What equipment does my child need?

DVPW will host equipment fitting sessions at least twice before the season begins. Sporting goods store representatives will be present to take helmet orders and to sell other equipment.  

Del Valle pop warner will be providing the equipment for your child. If you wish to get gloves and other items please let us know we will be able to direct you to the right place to purchase them.   

7.     When does practice start?

Practices will begin on August 1. This allows the teams roughly four weeks of practice before their first game/scrimmage, which will be no earlier than September 3rd.  

Pre-season practices will start no earlier than August 1st for both football and cheer. Practice times and locations will vary based on team assignments and field availability however practices are held in the evenings. Cheer usually practices 2-3 days/week. 

Football Conditioning: Under national Pop Warner requirements, each player must meet the following practice/conditioning requirements before they can participate in a scrimmage or game:

§  10 hours of conditioning (shorts and shirts with helmets-no pads) MUST be met before a participant can participate in contact practices-no exceptions; followed by

§  10 hours of player readiness (pads; contact practices)

§  Maximum of 10 hours/week; 2.5 hours per day prior to Labor Day

If a child misses any practices during the conditioning and readiness period during the month of August, it is very difficult for that child to make up the lost time. The player will be required to make up the conditioning hours under a coach’s supervision before he will be allowed to participate with the rest of the team.

Please schedule your August plans (vacations, day camps or other sports) around practice, so as to avoid any conflict with your ability to attend ALL practices. If you have questions concerning this, contact us immediately.

Once school starts, the expectation of each player is that they attend ALL practices unless they are ill or have a required school event. After Labor Day, the maximum weekly practice time will drop from 10 hours per week to 6 hours per week and the maximum daily practice time drops to 2 hours per day (break time does not count against each practice

8.     How many practices are in a week?

Until school starts, teams will practice 4 days/week for 2 1/2 hours per day. Once school starts, teams will practice three days a week for 2 hours per day.

9.     Where are the practices at?

Del Valle High School, 5201 Ross Rd, Del Valle, TX 78617

10.   How many games are in a season?

Generally 8 or 12 depending on the schedule and how many teams are in the division but a minimum of 6.  Some games may be played out of Austin city limits (Georgetown, Leander, Buda, etc).  If teams make the playoffs they will be asked to play games out of the state (this includes football and cheer). 

11.   When do the games begin and on what days are they played?

DVPW home games are played at Del Valle High School 5201 Ross Rd, Del Valle, TX 78617, and away games on fields throughout Central Texas. Game times and locations are assigned by Hill Country Pop Warner. Historically, the game schedule comes out just prior to the first game (about a week or two before) and is subject to change during the season. DLWP has no control over the schedule so we ask that our teams and families be understanding and flexible. Regular season games are played on Saturdays with the season typically beginning towards the end of August/first weekend in September (Labor Day) and running through the end of October/early November, not including play-offs. 

12.   Is volunteering required?

DVPW is a completely volunteer-run organization that relies heavily on the support of our parents therefore YES every family is required to volunteer. 

We have many volunteering opportunities.  If you would like to volunteer as  a coach (head coach or assistant coach), team parent, team photographer or on the DVPW Board, make a note of that when registering your player or send an email to us at [email protected].

All other parents are required to volunteer on game days. Football parents are required to volunteer at minimum 3 games and cheer parents are required to volunteer at 1 game. Team Parents will notify parents of volunteer opportunities throughout the season.

13.   Refund policy?

• Prior to July 1st, full refund

• July 1st-August 25th, 50% refund

• After August 25th, no refund with the exception of medical conditions preventing play. Refund requests must be accompanied by doctor’s note and subject to board approval.  Refund amount would be based on date in season.

• Upon ANY refund request, players must surrender any uniform or accessories distributed for the upcoming season.
• PeeWee players who do not make weight as of Certification (to be held in August) will receive a full refund.

• If we are unable to field enough players to form a team for your child’s preferred division, you will be eligible to play up to the next division (depending on age and weight) or you will be eligible for a full refund.

14.   How safe is Pop Warner?

Yes. Per national Pop Warner rules, players must be under a certain weight. If they are over the designated weight limit for their age, they must “play up” and be on a team of older players. This is a safety issue and is strictly enforced. Players are weighed at the beginning of the season and also before every game.

Players who are under the designated weight for their age likewise may “play down” and be on a team of younger players.  

If my child’s age and weight qualify him for multiple Pop Warner team levels, which level should he play?

We recommend that your child play on the lowest level team that he qualifies for. However, there may be exceptions, particularly if your son is a strong player.

15.   Are there many injuries?

Although they certainly can occur, injuries at the Pop Warner level are rare. Prior to middle school, boys are generally not yet big and strong enough to hurt each other. Interestingly, a national study conducted several years ago found that there is a higher percentage of injuries in soccer than in Pop Warner football. Perhaps more importantly, playing Pop Warner football likely will decrease your child’s chances of getting injured while playing middle school football because he will already know the fundamentals of tackle football, including how to properly tackle, and how to protect himself when he is tackled.

16.   Are there minimum play requirements? 

Yes. The minimum number of plays per player varies depending on the number of players on a team, and is governed by Pop Warner rules. The minimum number of plays is usually 8-10 plays (excluding special teams plays).