Health & Fitness
Bethel Youth Football and Competitive Cheer 2013
Bethel Youth Football and Cheer is gearing up in preparation for the 2013 season.
Bethel Youth Football prepares for the 2013 Season
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The winter season just does not want to give up. The baseball fields are still covered in mud. The Lacrosse nets are still stuck to the ground, but Bethel Youth football is actively preparing for the 2013 season. Bethel Youth Football is now in its 45th season of providing youth football and cheerleading to the town of Bethel. Registration is available on-line as well as at the Parks and Recreation office. We will have an in person registration on April 27,2013 at The Berry School Field from 9 am - 12 pm. Pop Warner has a “No Cut” rule which means that tryouts are not allowed therefore it is a first come first on basis. Each team or squad is allowed to have 35 players maximum.
Bethel Youth Football is a member of the Northern Ct Pop Warner organization which has 9 other towns in our conference. These 9 teams include Brookfield, New Fairfield, New Milford, and Pomperaug, which are all teams that our athletes will face through Pop Warner and into High School Northern Ct. Pop Warner is part of the Pop Warner Little Scholars organization which contains participants in 42 states and over 425,000 football and cheer members. The National headquarters is located Langhorn Pennsylvania. The Little Scholars refers to Pop Warner’s commitment to require satisfactory academic progress to participate. There is an All American program that is available for those students who have a 96% grade point average or higher and there are several levels of acceptance and recognition which includes a banquet.
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Who Can Play?
Boys and Girls from ages 5 to 15 are eligible to participate on one of the 6 levels that we offer. There are a minimum number of 16 players that must be met in order to field a team in the Pop Warner league. All Athletes in football are placed according to age and weight in order to field the team. Cheerleaders are by age only. The key date is your child’s birth date as of July 31, 2013. This date determines the child’s age for the season.
Pop Warner offers the following levels:
Tiny Mite- This level is for 5, 6, and 7 year olds who are in the weight range of 35-75 lbs. There is no Older/Lighter in this level.
Mighty Mite- This level is for 7, 8, and 9 year olds who are in the weight range of 45 to 90 lbs. There is no Older/Lighter in this level.
Jr. Pee Wee- This level is for 8, 9, and 10 year olds who are in the weight range of 60-105lbs. Older/ Lighters are 11 year olds who are between 60 to 85lbs.
Pee Wee- This level is for 9, 10 and 11 year olds who are in the weight range of 75-120 pounds. Older/ Lighters are 12 year olds that are between 75-100lbs.
Jr. Midget- This level is for 10, 11 and 12 year olds who are in the weight range of 90-145lbs. Older/Lighters are 13 year olds that are 90-120 lbs.
Patriot- The patriot Division is for 11, 12, 13 and 14 year olds that are from 105 lbs and up. This is an unlimited weight division. There are no older/ lighters for this division.
On the first day of practice a player can be overweight for a level by a maximum of 9lbs., but by the first game must hit the targeted division weight. Players are allowed 1lb per week after the second week of the season. The age and weight are the strictest of rules that Pop Warner has. All players are weighed and ages are verified prior to each game. All teams play a home and away schedule consisting of around 8 games. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs that could ultimately send a team to the National Championship at Disney in mid December. There have been quite a few teams from this area that have gone to the National Championship and Bethel would love to add to this list.
Safety First
Football was described by Vince Lombardi as “the greatest team sport in the world”, and in order for it to be taught correctly and safely all Bethel Coaches must attend classes presented by the National Youth Sports Coaching Association, Pop Warner National Coaching Courses, and all Head Coaches must receive training in CPR and First Aid. EMTs are in attendance for most practices and all games. Our Bethel High School Coaches spend many hours addressing formations and proper techniques that are used at their level that would also work at the youth level. Our Bethel High School Staff takes hands on approach in helping shape the varsity teams of the future.
The Equipment that is used by Bethel Youth Football is state of the art. All football Equipment is provided by the league. (The player must purchase only a protective cup, girdle, and cleats.) The helmets are the same helmets used by the professionals, college, and high school athletes. Each season the helmets are sent out to be reconditioned which includes a series of tests that make sure the helmet is still to industry standard. Helmets have a limited life span and Bethel is continually adding inventory to be sure that the latest models are in use. Every piece of equipment is inspected annually and continually being updated.
The Pop Warner League has taken safety in a very positive manner and has included rules that must be followed which address the amount of contact that a player and team can have throughout the practice week. Safety is a priority in the Pop Warner Family.
The Commitment
Playing or cheering in Pop Warner is truly a commitment for both parent and child. Practices begin August 1st and are held every weeknight for 2 hours. The August practices begin as conditioning to prepare the players for the rigors of a game. Upon the completion of 10 hours of conditioning players may begin to practice in full equipment which can include scrimmages with other teams throughout our league. There is an emphasis placed on fun, learning the game, teamwork and sportsmanship and also a strong emphasis on discipline and commitment to the program. Once school begins practices will be reduced to three nights per week. Any player not maintaining consistent academic remarks may be removed from the team.
Parents also have additional involvement in helping the program run smoothly. Each parent is required to assist with snack shed, fundraising, and other revenue generating opportunities for two hours yes just two hours for the season. These precious hours allow the program to keep the costs down and run the program for the season.
Coaching, field set-up and tear down and other team responsibilities do not count toward these hours.
The price for football and cheer is $150.00 per player, $275.00 for 2 and a family cap of $400.00. This price is good until May 31, 2013. There will be a $25.00 late fee applied to each registration after the May 31st deadline.
The Community
Thousands of Bethel children have gone through the Bethel Youth Football organization. Our goal is to see all of the football and cheer participants play at the high school level. Bethel Youth Football and Cheer will never deny a child the opportunity to play due to hardship. The president of Bethel Youth Football will gladly and confidentially discuss any hardship that may arise. Please see our website for contact information. We look forward to the 2013 season and the opportunity that we have to serve the community through football and cheer. Feel free to contact our President Dave Belcourt at davidbelcourt@sbcglobal.net if there are any questions that may come up. We cannot wait for the season to begin
Bethel Pride!!!