Due to the lack of Pop Warner presence in far East Travis County, we have been asked to set up Del Valle Pop Warner. Our purpose is to serve youth in the 172 square miles that represent the Del Valle School District. We plan to offer football, cheer and dance to young men and women from the ages of 5 - 12 years. As with all start up organizations there are a lot of initial expense involved. Our goal is to provide football uniforms for the football players (equipment and uniforms collected at the end of the season). Since cheer and dance in more personal, they will be required to purchase their own uniforms and can keep them. About cost for football, I will list a few needed items - uniforms (game and practice), equipment (helmets and shoulder pads), two person blocking sled, dummies, ropes, etc. Our first-year goal is to field two football teams with a minimum of 25 players and two cheer teams with a minimum of 10 each.
MISSION STATEMENT - 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 is an international program operated for the benefit of its your participants. Since 1929, the program's philosophy has been academics and athletics go hand in hand. The objectives of Pop Warner are to inspire youth, regardless of race, creed, religion or national origin, to practice the ideas of sportsmanship, scholarship, and physical fitness, as reflected in the life of the late Glenn Scobie "Pop" Warner.
Each participant much register to be a part of the program. Registration included providing the following information -
1. Parental Consent form
2. Medical Examination from certified physician
3. Certified proof of age, and 4. Scholastic fitness (grades from previous year. Grades must be 70 or above or a waiver must be submitted that allows the student to improve during the first part of the new school year. If grades to not improve, the participate must stop. Pop Warner does not allow a coach to cut participants.
Practice starts for every team on August 1. During the first week, football players can only wear helmets. The first week (10 hours) is set aside for conditioning. During the second week players can put of full equipment and practice an additional 10 hours. Limited scrimmaging can happen during the third week (10-hour limit). Teams are only allowed to scrimmage other teams in the same division after the second week. The season usually starts on Labor Day week. Practice is limited to 6 hours per after Labor Day.
CONCUSSION RETURN TO PLAY GUIDELINES - The home team or hosting organization has the responsibility to provide medical coverage at each game or competition. In the absence of a physician and or ambulance on site, the minimum safety requirement will be the presence of one individual associated with the home team/host organization who is currently EMT qualified or is currently certified in Red Cross Community First Aid Safety, the P.R.E.P.A.R.E. Course by the National center for Sport Safety or the equivalent. A participant who is suspected of sustaining a concussion or head injury in a practice, game or competition shall be removed from practice, game or competition at that time based on evaluation and determination by the Head Coach. However, if an official licensed athletic trainer or other official qualified medical professional is on site and available to render such evaluation, that person shall always have final authority as to removal or return to play of the participant. Any Pop Warner participant who has been remove from practice, play or competition due to head injury or suspected concussion may not return to Pop Warner activities until the participant has been evaluated by a currently licensed medical professional trained in the evaluation and management of concussions and receives written clearance to return to play from that licensed practitioner to blocking and/or tackling drills; down line vs down line full speed drills; and/or scrimmages.
No full-speed head-on blocking or tackling drills in which the players line up more than 3 yards apart are permitted. (You may have two linemen in stances immediately across the line of scrimmage from each other. You may have full speed drills where the players approach each other at an angle, but not straight ahead into each other.) Intentional head-to-head contact is forbidden. Coaches must limit the amount of contact at each practice prior to Labor Day to a maximum of 30 minutes per day and 120 minutes total for the week. After Labor Day, contact is limited to a maximum of 22 minutes per day and 65 minutes total for the week. In this context, "contact" means any drill or scrimmage in which players go full-speed with contact - e.g. one-on-one.
WARM WEATHER PRECAUTIONS - Teams must guard against serious heat problems, which in extreme high school and college cases have occasionally resulted in death. The training regimen for any team practicing under high heat and/or humidity conditions must:
A. Limit or eliminate laps entirely.
B. Schedule practices for early evening, after sun is low in sky.
C. Give players all the water they want to drink when they want it. Do not substitute soft drinks.
D. Each coach must keep an eye on all players and his fellow coaches for the slightest sign of heat exhaustion or fatigue.
E. A fifteen-minute break is mandatory in the middle of each practice, not to be counted against practice time.
To keep a level playing field, Pop Warner has a Tackle Age/Weight Schematic
Tiny-Mite 5-6-7 35-75 lbs.
Mitey-Mite 7-8-9 45-100 lbs.
Junior Peewee 8-9-10 60-115 lbs.
Older/lighter 11 60-95 lbs.
Peewee 9-10-11 75-130 lbs.
Older/lighter 12 75-110 lbs.
As you can see there is age overlap with the last three groups. Depending on experience a player could be on two or three different teams.
Pop Warner also has a Mandatory Play Rule. Depending on the team and size of the team, it determines how many active plays a player must participate in.
16-25 players Mitey Mites - 12 Junior Peewee and Peewee - 10
26-30 players Mitey Mites - 10 Junior Peewee and Peewee - 8
31-35 players Mitey Mites - 8 Junior Peewee and Peewee - 6
COACHING STAFF - Each team can have up to ten coaches and side line personnel. As a condition of service to a Pop Warner League, all Coaches, Board of Directors' members and any other persons or volunteer workers who have repetitive access to have contact with players and/or cheer/dance participants, must complete and submit an official "Pop Warner Volunteer Application" to their local Pop Warner Association or League. No League shall permit any person to participate in any manner whose background checks reveals a conviction for, or guilty plea to any crime involving or against a minor. All Leagues must conduct a nationwide search that contains the applicable government sex offender registry data such as the First Advantage online National Criminal database search, or government agency sponsored state search of criminal records.
I hope that we have addressed your questions and concerns about our organization. Our goal is to provide a much-needed resource for the youth of far East Travis County. Once the schedule is set, all sponsors will receive a copy and we would love for you and anyone from the organization to attend some games. At your convenience, please review our website - www.dvpopwarner.com.
Should you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks, in advanced.
Frank C Brown, President
Del Valle Pop Warner
512-626-2879
[email protected]