QDoes my child really have to be at registration and why?
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.
QI’m so busy. Can my neighbor bring my child to sign up?
NO. Only a parent or legal guardian can register your child
QCheerleaders don’t need to be weighed so why do the girls need to be at registration?
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.
QWhat if my child leaves the state for the summer to spend time with other relatives?
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
QIf we can’t make these registration dates, can we come to someone’s home or office to sign up?
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.
QWhat happens if we miss all the sign ups?
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
QIf you have more kids sign up late, why can’t you just make another team?
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.
QWhy do you need my child’s report card?
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.
QCan girls sign up to play football with the boys?
Absolutely
QCan I register my 9 year old for flag or my 7 year old for tackle?
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
QI want all my kids on the same team. Can this be done?
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
QCan I sign up my daughter to cheer for my son’s team?
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
QIf 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?
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.
QHow do I register my child for Coach XYZ’s team?
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.
QIf my child doesn’t like football/cheer or we are unhappy with our team later, can we quit and get our money back?
NO. Due to pre-season costs in this sport, all fees paid at registration are NOT refundable for any reason.
QIf my son/daughter gets hurt do you refund our money?
NO. All fees paid at registration are NOT refundable for any reason.
QWe are moving to Scottsdale, but will not be there until the day before school starts. How do we register?
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.