Football & Cheerleading
Football Mission
Apex Sports Authority seeks to instill in the youth of our community the ideals
of good sportsmanship, integrity, loyalty, courage, commitment and respect so that
they may grow to be good and healthy men and women. These objectives will be
achieved by providing a consistently competitive football program. It is the
balance between the disciplines of football and the enjoyable camaraderie of teamwork,
which provide a fulfilling experience for our young athletes.
Parent Information
Parents: This is your program - please realize that the Apex Sports
Authority runs on 100% volunteer commitments and is available to your children because
of parent’s willingness to volunteer time, talent and treasure. As many of
you already know the program will be as successful as we make it for our children.
The league must count on help from every family. And as you can imagine, with an
all-volunteer organization, parent participation is essential. We are looking for
volunteers in the following areas to include but not limited to:
- Cheerleading Coaching Staff
- Football Coaching Staff
- Team Parent
- Team Equipment Manager
- Gate Attendance
- Concessions & Merchandise
- Field Setup and Maintenance
- Game Markers & Chains
- Fundraising & Sponsorship
- Press Box Announcer
- Other_______________
Registration Information
To complete registration each cheerleader/player will need:
- Completed Registration Form
- Signed Consent Form
- Physicians Form Completed (must be completed in current year per Pop Warner Rules)
- Volunteer Form
- Copy of Birth Certificate
- End of Year Report Card (must contain ALL four quarter grades
and FINAL grade for the 2007/2008 school year)
- Parent Questionnaire
- Registration Fee
Registration fees include:
- Flag Football –Football Jerseys & Flag Belts.
- Tackle Football – Football game Jersey, Game Pants, Practice Pants, Football Pads and Helmets.
All uniforms and equipment
must be turned back in at the end of the season.
Refund Policy:
Fees paid are nonrefundable except under the following conditions: Refunds will
be made, if withdrawal from the program occurs prior to the first game
and
all equipment is returned. No refunds will be issued under any circumstance after
the first game of the season.
Weigh-Ins for Tackle Football Participants
Each tackle football player will be weighed at registration and again at the beginning
of the season to determine and confirm division assignment. Players must maintain
the weight requirements throughout the season for their division. Players will be
weighed prior to each game. The first week of the regular season, players must weigh
within the published weight range. Each subsequent week, the allowed weight will
be increased by one pound. Players are weighed in their uniforms, minus their helmet.
The following amounts are added to the maximum weight each week for equipment weight
allowances: Tiny Mite and Mitey Mite: 7 lbs, Junior Pee and Pee Wee: 8 lbs, Junior
Midget and Midget: 9 lbs.
Practices
Practice begins for all participants on
Friday, August 1. We practice at
fields in the Apex area designated for each division.
For the first 2
weeks of August, all
participants will practice Monday through Friday for two hours each night. All
Pop Warner participants are expected to begin practice on August 1.
What to wear?
Flag football participants should wear shorts, t-shirts and athletic shoes or cleats.
Tackle football participants should wear shorts, t-shirts and cleats. Do not wear
football equipment until told to by your coach. After completing 10 hours of conditioning,
players will begin wearing practice uniforms and full pads.
Every participant should bring a water bottle to every practice.
Games
All regular-season games are scheduled to be played on Saturdays. Generally, the
first regular-season game is on the last Saturday of August. There are games Labor
Day weekend. We typically do not receive the game schedule until a couple of days
before the first scheduled game, and there are frequent changes made to the schedule
immediately after that.
We do not have any control over the schedule or when it is
disseminated. The regular season usually runs through the first weekend
in November for all tackle teams.
The Flag, Tiny Mite and Mitey Mite divisions usually concludes their season with
an inter-league "bowl" game at the end of the season.
Teams in the Junior Pee Wee division and older are eligible to compete in post-season
competition based on their win/loss record. Post-season competition may include
regional and national championships and/or invitational bowls, which can run through
Thanksgiving or into December, if a team goes on to nationals.
Before the first regular-season game, there will be jamborees for flag and tackle
football teams. The jamborees are usually held the weekend before the first regular-season
game.
Flag football players wear team jersey and shorts during their games. Players are
provided the team jersey by their coaches during practice. Players are responsible
for providing their own shorts. Shorts worn by flag football players at games cannot
have any pockets.
Tackle football participants will be provided all necessary equipment and game uniforms,
except cleats. Participants must be present at equipment distribution so equipment
can be fitted.
Football Rules
The tackle football teams in the Consolidated Football Federation, including Apex
Sports Authority, play by North Carolina High School rules. The Consolidated Football
Federation provides Professional Officials. Pop Warner rules supercedes high school
rules when there are discrepancies. Note that the Consolidated Football Federation
can enforce rules that are stricter than Pop Warner Little Scholars rules.
Flag football teams follow the Pop Warner Little Scholars rules. Each association
provides nonprofessional officials for flag games.
Coaches
Each football team has a head coach and up to four assistant coaches. In addition,
the staff includes an equipment manager and a team parent, for a total of seven
rostered staff. The commissioner of ASA must approve all coach selections.
To be considered for a coaching position, you must:
1. Complete the Pop
Warner Little Scholars Volunteer Application.
2. Sign the ASA Code
of Conduct
A copy of your driver's license must accompany the Pop Warner Little Scholars volunteer
application. ASA will conduct a criminal background check on all applicants.
The commissioner selects the head coaches. The head coaches then select their assistant
coaches from the pool of applications approved by the commissioner. Because of the
limited number of rostered coaching positions, not everyone who submits a coach
application gets to coach. However, many head coaches appreciate the extra assistance
of parent helpers at practices. Talk to the head coach about this option if you
are not selected as an assistant coach.
All rostered staff automatically fulfills
required volunteers hours for ASA.
All rostered staff must pass a criminal background check. All rostered coaches must
hold current NYSCA football certification. Certification sessions are provided for
those coaches who do not already have NYSCA football certification. Renewals can
be done online.