Goals and Philosophy of the Pop Warner Program

Pop Warner Football/Cheerleading is a national program operated for the benefit of the children who play the game and lead the cheers. Since its inception, the program philosophy has been: Academics and athletics go hand in hand. Since 1929, Pop Warner Football has sought at every level to develop well rounded young men and women who learn not only the fundamentals of football and cheerleading, but also the importance of education in an atmosphere conducive to developing sound mind, body and character while having a good time along the way!

The general objectives of Pop Warner Football are 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 Glen Scobey ‘Pop’ Warner. 

For both players and cheerleaders, Pop Warner strives to make the game fun. This is most readily accomplished with coaches constantly keeping in mind the age of the participants. Pop Warner frowns on individual trophies based on athletic achievement. The program stresses learning lessons of value far beyond learning to play the game and learning cheers. Those are lessons of self-discipline, teamwork and good sportsmanship.

If promoted and organized properly, a sports program can and will result in better grades for kids. Numerous studies have indicated that student athletes achieve higher grades during the season in which they compete. Organized sports encourage goal setting, dedication, discipline and a myriad of other qualities that are essential for learning.

Scholastics

Pop Warner’s corporate title, Pop Warner Little Scholars Inc, reflects the philosophy of our program. SM Pop Warner is committed to promoting academic excellence and will issue recognition for academic achievement based on the end of the school year grades. SM Pop Warner gives individual awards to those players/cheerleaders with a 3.0 grade average or above. Your team parent will have application forms in which parents fill out prior to the banquet for recognition during the banquet.
 

Santa Margarita Pop Warner Association promises to: 

A)   Provide proper/safe equipment.

B)   Provide each child that completes the season in good standing (plays all regular season games, and all fees and fundraiser monies paid) with all gear and uniforms returned, an award at the end of the season banquet.

C)   Provide each team that qualifies an opportunity to travel to an out of town Bowl Game. The mighty-mite teams are not eligible to travel. All travel is determined at the Conference level, which depends on openings and team standings. Bowl and travel games are not guaranteed.

General Rules

1)   Mandatory maximum participation in all scheduled association and team fundraisers.

2)    Any football player/cheerleader who has seen a physician for any illness (including non-football related) must bring a written release form from the doctor before he/she can participate in practice or games.

3)   No parents, non-players or cheerleaders are allowed on the practice or game fields. (please stay on the sidelines)

4)   Respect the coaching /cheer staff and each other. No name calling, arguing or fighting will be tolerated. The team must work together.

5)  Bring a bottle of water to each practice to have on hand at break time.

6)  During break times each player and cheerleader are to remain with their team in the practice area.

Divisions of Play

The Pop Warner Football Program provides the opportunity for participants between the ages of 7-15 years (on or before 7/31st) to play or cheer in an organized youth sport. Players have an opportunity to play supervised full contact tackle football, with the cheerleading squads being placed with siblings as a first priority (7 year old cheerleaders must cheer at the Mighty Mite level). In the five divisions there are teams having up to 35 players per  team and 24 cheerleaders per squad. Each one of the five divisions overlaps between ages and weights of the players. Each player will be placed in the division corresponding to his/her age and weight at the time of their physical.

 Please see Age and Weight Divisions

Practice/Game Fields

The first day of practice will be July 25. Family, friends or pets are not allowed on the practice field or game fields with either the players or the cheerleaders. Only authorized and approved volunteers are allowed with the children. Players/cheerleaders are to remain with their teams at all times. DO NOT leave prior to the end of practice without notifying the head coach, and please make arrangements to be sure your child is picked up from practice on time.

Head Coaches

We are very proud of our coaching staff. All of the head coaches are experienced and are here because they have talent and experience to share and are very anxious to teach your child the basics and techniques of the game. SM Pop Warner is dedicated to teaching our participants good sportsmanship, fair play and the fundamentals of the game. By providing a safe, well-supervised and structured program that stresses physical well-being, self-discipline, self-esteem and athletic skills, we feel that SM Pop Warner can achieve its goal. All are volunteers and attend coaching clinics.

Please be aware our league is comprised completely of volunteers and we are all here for our kids. Be cognizant of the fact that we are all doing our best including our coaching staff. It is not always easy to get young children to listen and it is up to the coaching staff to not only teach our children the game but to teach them what they need to know to keep them safe out on the field as well.

If a parent has any concerns about their coach, please follow the proper channels. Please go to your head coach. Please do not interrupt practice or games with your concerns. Please approach members before or after the practice or game. We will not tolerate verbal abuse or the harassment of any volunteer member or team staff at any time. This could be cause to release you and your child from the OEC Conference.

Games

Regular games are played every Saturday. Home games will be played at Las Flores Intermediate, Trabuco Hills HS, and Santa Margarita HS. Away games will vary by location, our Conference covers Orange and parts of Los Angeles county. Schedules are assigned by OEC Conference. Players/cheerleaders are required to be at the assigned game field approximately one hour before game time. This enables time for any pre-game instructions, equipment check, warm-up and weigh-ins. Please have your child arrive on time and in the required gear/uniform. There are 10 regular season games for tackle and 8 for flag. Additional games will be played if the team makes playoffs. (for Jr Pee Wee level and above) All post-season games are determined and controlled by Conference.

Mandatory Play Rule

SM Pop Warner is governed by the OEC Conference rule whereby each football player MUST PLAY A MINIMUM of eight plays per game. If for any reason a child does not play eight plays, they will start the next game. Your head coach is responsible for turning in forms to the athletic director, who is in turn required to turn it into the conference. If a coach does not comply with this rule it could result in possible suspension or removal from the organization.

Equipment

All of the equipment we issue to players has been approved and is either re-certified or replaced on a yearly basis. Players are provided on a loan-basis-only, helmet, shoulder pads, hip, knee and thigh pads, practice pants, game pants, mouth-piece and belt. Players need to provide their own girdles and cleats with molded rubber soles. Certain auxiliary equipment is allowed, check with your head coach prior to purchasing. Only the equipment approved by OEC Conference can be worn. The cheerleading uniform consists of a skirt, kick pants, shirt or vest, socks, tennis shoes and pom-poms. This uniform is purchased by the cheerleader.

Parents and/or guardians can be held financially responsible for the loss of or malicious damage to any of the association’s equipment and uniforms issued to their child. Your child will not receive their trophy until their uniform, equipment and any outstanding fees or monies owed are turned in. You are responsible for the equipment and uniforms while they are on loan to you.

Trash

All of our facilities have trashcans. PLEASE take the time to keep our fields and parks clean. If trash becomes a problem, your child’s practice may be cut short in order for them to pick up trash left behind by spectators. It is a privilege to practice at our city parks and fields as well as play at our local high schools, please help pick up trash after your games whether you are at home or away.

Certification Requirements

1)   Each child must submit a completed application form whether they are new or returning to the association. Prior to being assigned to a team the contract must be signed by a parent\legal guardian.

2)   Each child must present their true and certified birth certificate with the state or county seal. Please bring the original documents to us to copy. Baptismal, hospital records or certificates are NOT ACCEPTABLE.

3)    Each child must be prepared to present a current utility bill to show proof of residency within the Santa Margarita Pop Warner boundaries (RSM, Las Flores, Trabuco Canyon, Dove Canyon, Coto de Caza, Ladera Ranch). If you are a non-residence you must speak with an executive board member.

4)     Each child will need to submit his/her report card for the school year ending June 2006 that shows a promotion to the next grade. For those who fall below a 2.0 grade average they will receive a scholastic form that must be completed by the child’s school prior to them taking the field.

5)      Physicals are required for both football players and cheerleaders. Each physical must be at least 60 days current and completed on the league’s three-part contract.

6)      All past due and current fees must be paid before your child will be placed on a team. All fees must be paid by August 1st. If you require special consideration, you must speak to Mark Graves, our president prior to your child taking the field on July 31.

7)     The OEC Conference requires ten hours of practice prior to wearing their pads. Then six hours of pads prior to contact.

Fees

Fees were set to enable the association to meet the high costs.

Flag Football $110.00
Tackle Football $275.00
Cheer $50.00

Charges on checks returned by bank can be up to $50 plus amount of the check. No further checks will be accepted. If you previously have had checks returned, they will not be accepted.

Refunds

It is the policy of SM Pop Warner Football Association to NOT refund registration fees once the child begins practice or takes the field the first day of practice, either on or after the 1st day of practice, whether it is one day or ten days. A 50% refund will be granted before June 30 with a request in writing.

Fundraising

Association fundraisers assist the association the same as registration fees. Our league requires each athlete to sell a minimum of 15 Community Discount Cards totaling $150.00 per player and cheerleader. Discount cards are distributed at Physicals in May/June and must be paid for when received. Additionally, each family is to participate in other league fundraising activities such as Opening Day Carnival and Casino Night.

Parental Involvement

SM Pop Warner encourages its parents to participate and support the program that is there for their children. We believe that your child will function better knowing you are present; however, parents are not allowed on the field during practices or games. There are many ways to help your team. Field set up and clean up participation are just a few that you will be called upon to help out with. It is hoped that our parents also support the fundraisers and bring in sponsorships to help cover the season’s operating costs. The success of the SM Pop Warner program depends on the many parents and dedicated volunteer members and through their donations, support and participation we can be sure to provide a quality program.

Parent/Child Code of Conduct

Each parent and child will be asked to sign a code of conduct. There has been much discussion and concern among the board of directors at the national level over the number and severity of incidents of parental violence and misbehavior in youth sports. The National Board of Directors of Pop Warner has endorsed parent meetings at least once per year to discuss, among other things, the definitions of unacceptable behavior. This includes profanity, obscene gestures, verbal threats and physically threatening actions. The consequences for such inappropriate actions could result in suspension or expulsion of parent and child from the Pop Warner program. To see the complete bylaw amendment, please go to www.popwarner.com.

It is unfortunate that bad behavior has reached this level. Let us all make our best efforts to allow the children in Pop Warner to have fun without rude or intimidating interruptions from parents and adults.