Scottsdale Pop Warner Top Frequently Asked Questions
by parents each year... and their answers

General Questions

Q) When does the season begin and end? A) The season starts the first week of August and goes to the third week of November.  Check the calendar for exact dates.

Q) How much time is involved in football and cheer? A) It is a BIG time commitment on the part of both players and parents. From around August 6th through August 25th football practice is 5 times per week for 2 hours each practice. For cheer it is generally 3 times per week during this period. After that date you will have practice 3 times a week and once games begin on September 8th, there will be 2 practices and a game every Saturday.

Q) What time do the kids practice? A) Practices are 2 hours long and are usually around 6:30pm to 8:30pm depending on the coach’s schedule. Flag practices are generally held a bit earlier depending on the coach’s schedule.

Q) Isn’t it really hot out then? A) It sure is! It is imperative that your child drink plenty of water during the football season. This include the night before practice and during the day before practice. We cannot stress this enough. DRINK WATER!

Q) Where will my child have practices and games? A) Practice sites will be located as close to your school areas as possible. Home games are played at Desert Mountain High School and away games could be as close as Fountain Hills or as far away as Avondale, Gilbert, Chandler, West Phoenix etc. Parents are responsible for all transportation for their children to and from practices and games.

Q) Is Pop Warner too rough for my child? A) Only you and your child can answer this one. Scottsdale Pop Warner takes great strides to insure that coaches are knowledgeable, well trained individuals with the abilities to teach proper technique and skills and that all equipment is inspected and in condition to provide proper safety for all players. But, keep in mind....this is tackle football. It is not a sport for every child. Please discuss this with your child and any of our Board members prior to registering if you have specific concerns. REGISTRATION FEES ARE NOT REFUNDABLE FOR ANY REASON AFTER YOU REGISTER.

Q) Are the coaches paid employees of Scottsdale Pop Warnerl? A) NO. They are volunteer businessmen and/or fathers who donate their time to help our kids. This entire program, in fact, is run by volunteers who put in a great deal of personal time to make this program available to your children.

Q) Can we sign up now and pay later? A) Due to the nature of this sport, there are a large number of expenses that must be paid before the season even begins. We are not able to register any child without payment in full at registration time.

Q) After I pay my registration fees are there any other fees involved? A) Yes. Each team has a "team commitment" to raise $2,000 per tackle team and $500 per flag team to offset costs not covered by registration fees. Registration fees take care of administrative costs and help in offsetting equipment costs, but they do not begin to cover some of the other expenses associated with this sport. Some of the additional expenses team commitments pay for are:

1. Field costs - we do not get the use of the high school facilities for free, in fact, we spend thousands of dollars each year to be able to use them. 2. Scottadale Pop Warner pays all costs associated with maintaining the fields. This means whatever they need...from grass seed to striping. 3. Insurance on each and every player and cheerleader 4. Snack bar - stocking and staffing 5. Referee fees per home game 6. Restroom facilities at game site 7. Bowl Game trophies for approximately 600 kids 8. Weekly waste and trash removal 9. Year round storage rental fees for equipment. This includes not only the thousands of pieces of football and cheer equipment, but all field equipment as well. 10. And, of course, re-certification of equipment and replacement of equipment due to loss, theft and non-return of equipment from players and parents, and normal wear and tear costs. This alone runs thousands of dollars each year.

Team commitments are met by team fundraisers, company sponsorships, and/or parent and corporate donations. All families are expected to participate in fund raising and finding sponsors to help donate to your team.

Q) Do we have to buy all the equipment? A) NO. Scottsdale Pop Warner provides all equipment for football and cheer on a lease basis (with the exception of some personal items). All equipment must be returned at the end of each season. Some teams, however, will elect to buy additional items such as team t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, year end trophies for the kids and a year end team party, but these items must be paid for by fund raising or directly by parents.

Q) How do you select your teams? A) In tackle football there are several divisions. These divisions are determined by age and weight. The divisions are Might Mite, Jr. Pee Wee, Pee Wee, Jr. Midget, Midget and Jr. Bantam. For details on divisions click on the Age and Weight Chart link.

Q) Who decides what team my son/daughter will play on? A) The Team Selection Committee, comprised of members of the Board of Directors, will establish the teams. This is done by strict guidelines using only numbers of participants. Names of children are NOT provided to this committee. Children are not individually chosen for teams as many have thought in the past! Kids are divided into divisions first by age and weight. The next factor is the elementary school boundary the child lives within (not the school they attend). All kids in a specific weight and age classification who live in the same school boundary will be on the same team. If one school does not have enough participants to fill up a team (maximum 35 players), the next kids added to that team must live in an adjacent school boundary (boundaries of schools must touch), and so on until you fill a team. If you have more than 1 team in any division, the total number of players assigned to each team cannot differ by more than 2 when you have finished. Whew.......... have I lost you yet? The rules on setting up teams are governed by Pop Warner Federation, not Scottsdale Pop Warner. The divisions and teams must be submitted to our Federation for approval and they are carefully scrutinized. This is a time consuming and difficult process and it takes hours per division to make sure these guidelines are met.

Q) Do you ever let kids play for a team that is not in their "boundaries"? A) The Head Coach of each team has the option of selecting up to 2 players that do not live in his teams’ school boundaries to play on his team. (This is called a “6-11”) These players must meet the age and weight restrictions of the division and parental consent and league consent to play “out of area” is required.

Q) When will I know what team my child is on? A) You will be contacted by your coach approximately 1 week prior to the beginning of the season. It is important when registering that you give us your home phone number so the coach may contact you in a timely manner.

Q) How much will my child play? A) All children will play. Coaches will determine what positions each child is best suited for and as a result some will play more plays than others. Every division has a minimum number of plays (Pop Warner Mandatory Play Rule MPR) per half that each child must play. For Might Mite the minimum number of plays per half is 5. For all other divisions, the minimum number of plays per half is 4.

Q) Why do football coaches yell so much? A) Let us answer this way... Imagine if you invited 30 boys over to your home, put pads and helmets on them and told them to hit each other as hard as they can, knock each other down and then do it again.. and again... and again, what do you think would happen?

"I say Pip, old boy, Mrs. Grunkmeyer has given us the green light to try a little spirited play. Shall we give it a go?"

"Oh yes, let's. But first we must don our safety equipment."

"I'm ready to hit you now Pip, are you prepared?"

"Hit away Reginald, old chap. I stand ready"

"Here I come then" ##**OUCH#*CRUNCH#!!#**

"I say Reginald, you certainly pack quite a punch! I do believe I feel a slight pain in my right ankle."

"Well.....then perhaps a spot of tea will will perk you up. Shall I ask Mrs. Grunkmeyer to brew a pot?"

"Oh Reginald, what a good friend you are."

"Shall we then?"

"Oh yes, let's." .............. NOT!! No.....more likely it would be mass chaos, mayhem, arguing, eventual name calling, fist fighting and perhaps even a call from your neighbors asking you to move. I’m not sure a polite “Let’s calm down now boys” would cut it. The answer to this question is--coaches will demand complete attention and sometimes they demand it loudly. This is a contact sport and coaches are responsible for teaching the kids not only how to play football, but how to do it properly so no one gets hurt. This requires a lot of cooperation, teamwork and respect for each other and to this end, coaches will make sure they are heard.

Q) What is Certification Day? Does my child have to be there? A) Certification Day will be on a Saturday om ;ate August. It is the day that all players and cheerleaders are placed on a certified roster for their team. YES.........ALL PLAYERS AND CHEERLEADERS MUST ATTEND!! On this day, all players have their final weigh-in by Federation officials to make certain they qualify to play in the division they have been placed in. All paperwork must be presented to league officials to verify each child’s age, weight and identification. This is done to comply with safety regulations. Pop Warner National does not make any separate distinction between football and cheer. All participants must be checked at Certification.

Q) What if we can’t make it to Certification Day? A) Certification is mandatory. It is VERY, VERY IMPORTANT!! If your child does not certify, their name will not appear on the teams’ roster and your child will be ineligible to participate for the entire season. This is NOT a Scottsdale Pop Warner rule. We have no control over this ruling.....If you don’t certify....you don’t play!

Q) If my child misses Certification and can’t play, do you refund our money? A) NO. All fees paid at registration are NOT refundable for any reason.

Registration Questions

Q) Does my child really have to be at registration and why? A) YES! Every participant, whether it is flag football, tackle football or cheerleading MUST be at registration with a parent or LEGAL guardian. All players are placed in a division of play based on age AND weight. This is done to try and balance out experience and maturity with age and size. All children must weigh in and have the certified copy of their birth certificate verified by league officials. This prevents unfair advantages and/or unfair disadvantages on the teams.In our past experience, parents who try to guess their child’s weight are rarely correct. These age and weight restrictions are mandated and closely scrutinized by Pop Warner National and our local Federation for the safety of all players and no registration will be taken without weight verification by our officials.

Q) I’m so busy. Can my neighbor bring my child to sign up? A) NO. Only a parent or legal guardian can register your child

.Q) Cheerleaders don’t need to be weighed so why do the girls need to be at registration? A) All children are photographed and assigned a registration number that will register them with the league for insurance purposes and other administrative purposes. This is required by National and Federation rules and Scottsdale, as well as all other Associations in the valley, must comply.

Q) What if my child leaves the state for the summer to spend time with other relatives? A) Our first registration is held during the school year and it will be VERY important for children who are in this situation to register at the May sign-ups

.Q) If we can’t make these registration dates, can we come to someone’s home or office to sign up? A) NO. All players are weighed, birth certificates checked and kids are photographed and this is not able to be done anywhere or anytime but at the set registration times and locations.

Q) What happens if we miss all the sign ups? A) One last "Late Registration" is held a week prior to the start date. DO NOT WAIT FOR THIS REGISTRATION!! At this registration only teams with space available will be taking additional registrations and there is no guarantee that your child will be placed on a team

.Q) If you have more kids sign up late, why can’t you just make another team? A) Wow folks.....this is a tough one!! This is not a simple matter in football. We take every effort to find experienced and trained coaches that can properly condition, train and teach 30 boys how to play a complex, extremely physical, full contact sport. Good coaches aren’t that quick and easy to come by! In addition, these kids do not just go out swing a bat or dribble a ball. They are executing plays just like in high school and college and more importantly they are hitting and tackling and if this is not taught properly there can be serious consequences.Furthermore, football requires more than 1 or 2 coaches. It requires more practice time than other sports, there are more kids on a team than in other sports, and our coaches are required to attend certain coach training sessions and clinics prior to being allowed to coach. These clinics generally take place in June and July and are not offered at the last minute, and the list just goes on and on.It is a great disservice to all the kids when you try to throw an extra team together at the “zero hour”. Additionally, when this happens in order to comply with the rules for selecting teams, we have to go back and re-count and re-divide every team in the division and this takes hours to do and many individuals to do it. It is not possible to bring together all the people necessary and for them to spend all the hours necessary to accomplish this at the last minute.

Q) Why do you need my child’s report card? A) Pop Warner is a strong believer in academic achievement. Football is a major time commitment on the part of the kids and parents. Children must show ability to maintain a grade point average high enough in order to be eligible to play. In addition, Pop Warner recognizes academic excellence with our “Little Scholar” program. More information on this program is available from our home page.

Q) Can girls sign up to play football with the boys? A) Absolutely

.Q) Can I register my 9 year old for flag or my 7 year old for tackle? A) The age requirements state that in order to play tackle football you must be 8 years old by July 31st of this year. If you are younger than 8 on July 31st, the only program available is flag football

.Q) I want all my kids on the same team. Can this be done? A) Only if their ages and weights fall with in the same team division guidelines. Go to the homepage and click on “Age and Weight Chart” to be sure. Age cutoff is July 31st

.Q) Can I sign up my daughter to cheer for my son’s team? A) This can be done only if the ages of your children fall within the same division guidelines listed on the “Age and Weight Chart”. If your daughter is 7 and your son is 12, they will NOT be on the same team. Our cheer program is advancing rapidly and age and skill levels are just as important to the girls as they are to the boys

.Q) If my kids are on different teams could they possibly play at different fields at the same time or could one child have the first game in the morning while one is the last game of the day? A) Yes. We have many families with siblings in the program and for those of us who do, we often go different directions for practices and games. You must decide before registering if this will be a hardship for you. Parents are responsible for their children’s transportation to and from practices and games and parents must be on time for both arrival and pick-up.

Q) How do I register my child for Coach XYZ’s team? A) We cannot accept requests to place your child with the coach of your choice. Teams must be made up according to the guidelines set forth by our governing Federation. We do not pick and choose kids for teams as some may think.

Q) If my child doesn’t like football/cheer or we are unhappy with our team later, can we quit and get our money back? A) NO. Due to pre-season costs in this sport, all fees paid at registration are NOT refundable for any reason.

Q) If my son/daughter gets hurt do you refund our money? A) NO. All fees paid at registration are NOT refundable for any reason.

Q) We are moving to Scottsdale, but will not be there until the day before school starts. How do we register? A) Our season begins one week before school starts. This would mean missing one whole week of practice. Due to national rules that specifically state how many hours of pre-conditioning must be met before players are allowed to put on pads and participate in contact drills, it will be extremely hard on your child to catch up. It is also difficult for a coach with 29 other boys to spend the training time necessary to accommodate 1 child coming in late. If your child begins late it is also possible that your child will not certify to play. (See the question under “General Questions” regarding Certification Day.)If you are moving to the area later than our last registration in July you should make arrangements to be at one of the first three registrations with your child.

Cheer Questions and Answers

Q) How much time is involved in the cheer program? A) It is a big time commitment on the part of the girls and the parents. The season begins around the first week in August and there are practices 2 ­ 3 nights per week, every week for 2 hours each. Once games begin in September there will be 2 practices and a game every Saturday. Plan on a 4 hour time commitment on Saturdays for games.

Q) Where are the games? A) About 50% of the games will be home games played here in Scottsdale. Away games can be anywhere in the valley and parents are responsible for all transportation to and from games and practices. Away games are not optional for cheerleaders. All players and cheerleaders are expected to participate

.Q) Do we buy a uniform? A) Scottsdale Youth Football Association provides an awesome cheer top and skirt as well as the poms and a cheer bag to use for the season. Parents must sign a lease for the use of the equipment and all equipment must be returned promptly at the end of the season. Parents are responsible to purchase the bike shorts to wear under the uniform and athletic shoes suitable for cheerleading

.Q) Will the uniform and poms be brand new? A) No. The uniforms were purchased by Scottsdale Pop Warner two seasons ago and are in fabulous condition. The poms, unfortunately, were not taken care of well in the first year and some are showing some age, but are still shiny, sparkly and very usable. The bags are great for taking everything a girl needs at the game: sweatshirt, sunscreen, water, poms, lipstick (for you older girls who want to spruce up at half time) etc. The “Scottsdale Cheer” emblems on the outside of the bags are a bit worn, but the bags are in super condition

.Q) My daughter has a lot of activities. Is it a problem if she misses some practices and some games? A) Yes. Cheerleading is not just for glamour anymore. It is a difficult sport and a team effort, as the girls will be doing routines, lifts and stunts. When people do not show up for practices, often the entire work out has to be revamped if the stunts or routines cannot be done without the missing people. Because there are only 2 practices a week during the season, if a girl misses a practice she may not know how to perform the routine or stunt properly. When this happens, the coaches are not allowed to let the girl perform that routine at the game. This is a safety issue and we will not compromise the safety of any of our participants. As you might imagine, when girls are told they must be left out of a routine, no one is very happy. All participants need to make every effort to be available for the entire season.

Q) Can the girls paint their faces with logos and wear sparkle body lotions and makeup? A) The cheerleaders are allowed to wear suitable makeup if the parents allow it, but face painting and glitter are not allowed. This is a Pop Warner National and Federation rule and Scottsdale has no say in the matter

.Q) Do the girls need to register at the same time as the boys? A) Yes. Please click on the question and answer section on the home page for more registration information.

Q) My daughter wants to be on the same team with all her friends. Is that possible? A) When you register all cheerleaders must sign an additional form that details some aspects of the program. We are able to take a REQUEST ONLY to be with specific girls and their names need to be listed in this section of the form. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE ANY REQUESTS. We will do our best to put friends together, but ages of division’s overlap slightly and in order to have the numbers necessary for each squad, we may not be able to accommodate everyone.

Q) If my daughter does not get placed with her friends and no longer wants to participate can we quit and get our money back? A) No. Scottsdale Pop Warner does not refund registration monies for any reason.

Q) Can my daughter cheer for my sons’ team? A) Yes, but ONLY if the age groups of the division match. (Click on Questions and Answers on the home page and the Age and Weight Chart on the home page for more information.)

Q) Can both my daughters be on the same team? A) Yes, but ONLY if the age groups of the division match. (Click on Questions and Answers on the home page and the Age and Weight Chart on the home page for more information.)

Q) Why can’t my 8 year old and my 12 year old daughters be on the same team? A) Each division has an age limit for participants. The girls are grouped by division like the boys (See the Age and Weight Chart on the Home Page for age categories). We try to further break it down for the girls as follows: Flag Divisions - 5, 6 and 7 year olds Mighty Mite Division - 8 and 9 year olds Jr. Pee Wee Division - 10 and 11 year olds Pee Wee Division - 11 and 12 year olds Jr. Midget Division - 12 and 13 year olds Midget Division - 12, 13 and 14 year oldsThis is done for reasons. The girls have a tremendous difference in ability and maturity in the age groups. If the ages differ too much on a squad, it becomes difficult to manage the team. The younger girls do not have the attention span or physical capabilities to keep up with the older girls and this causes discipline problems for the coach and unhappiness and incompatibility among the girls. Please do not ask us to change the rules for you. In order for everyone to have the best possible experience, the above age groupings have proven to be the best solution.

Q) Why do the cheerleaders have to be at games 45 minutes early? A) All players and cheerleaders must check in before game time. This is done for the players to check their weights and insure that only the kids registered may play. This insures that teams do not try substitutions giving unfair advantages to the team. All players present must be noted at check in to insure the minimum play rule for the game is accurate. Pop Warner National makes no distinction on this rule between the girls and boys. Girls will be checked for fingernail polish and length and jewelry, which are not allowed for safety reasons. Away games often have 3 fields in use at one time like we do. Check ins begins 45 minutes before game time so that all the participants in each game have time to be checked in. We recommend that you try to be 1 hour early in the event the games ahead of you are running ahead of schedule. Your team may be called first. If they are and you are not there, your child will not be allowed to participate in the first half. Your child will have to be checked in at half time by the Site Coordinator for that Association. Most associations are VERY strict on this rule. Don’t take a chance……be there on time. In addition, the girls need time to warm up and stretch out before the game to avoid pulled muscles and injury.

Q) Who will be my daughters’ coach? A) YOU!! Just kidding, unless you would like to fill out one of our coaching applications. We are a program run entirely by volunteers and are always looking for knowledgeable, happy volunteers to help us coach. If you are interested in coaching and have dance, gymnastics or cheer experience or are willing to learn, please call and give us your name and phone number so we can contact you now.