TCYFA 2010 Tackle News

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

Below are some important dates and activities for the 2010 tackle season. 

July 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th - Free Football Camp

Camp will be held at Sunset Park from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Coaches will be available to assist and evaluate the players in drills and exercises.  The camp is non-contact (no pads) and registration for the camp is not necessary.

During Tuesday and Wednesday of camp, parents can register the players for the season. 

The cost per player is $160 for 5 and 6 year olds and $190 for players ages 7 to 12.  Note that per conference rules, a player’s age is determined by their age on July 31.  The cost includes the practices, games, game uniforms, equipment loan, banquet, and awards for the players.  Discounts are available for siblings that are also enrolled.  The second family member receives a $20 reduction in price and the third, fourth, etc. each receive a $40 discount.

You can prepay for registration using the new Registration Payments feature on the Website.  Note that this only pays the fees – you will still need to register and provide the league with your player information.  Registration includes the following.

• Parents must supply player information (name, birth date, address, contacts, phone numbers, and e-mails).  We also ask for the player’s doctor contact information as well as a preferred hospital.  A birth certificate is not required at this time.  It will be required for the weigh in.  The league communicates through e-mail and through Announcements on the Web.  Please make sure to check your e-mail and keep your e-mail information up-to-date.
• Payment (cash or check) is required at the time of registration.  If you prepay, print and bring the receipt that is created during the process. 
• You will be asked to sign a registration receipt.  On the back of the receipt are rules / information concerning the league and conference.  By signing the receipt you agree to all of the information on the back page.  Click 2010 Registration Back Page for a pre-view of the back page.
• Each player will receive $60 worth of raffle tickets.  These are $1 tickets that you can sell to family members, co-workers, or friends to offset your registration fees.  The tickets are for a chance to win cash prizes ($500, $250, and $100).  The drawing for the prizes will be held on Saturday, August 21st during the Jamboree.
• We will also be selling raffle tickets for two free player registrations ($190 value each).  We are only offering 300 chances for this raffle and the ticket price is $5.  There are no limits to the number of tickets that can be purchased and ticket availability is on a first come, first serve basis.  The ticket sales from this raffle will be used to fund a 2010 player yearbook.  The drawing for the winners will be held during practice on Tuesday, July 20th.
• Our 9 year olds will have the opportunity to play in a scrimmage at a Ram’s half time.  We will have signup sheets for those interested in playing and for anyone interested in purchasing the tickets.  $35 buys tickets for two games – one is a the pre-season game against the Ravens on September 2nd where our players will scrimmage and the other is a regular season game against the Chargers on October 17th.  We only have 125 tickets available.  Note that each player participating in the scrimmage must purchase a ticket.

Practices will begin the following week.  Practices are generally held at Sunset Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Please note that a player cannot attend the practices unless he or she has been registered for the season.  The last day for registration will be Thursday, July 29th. 

July 17^th, 21^st, and 24^th - Equipment Handout

Registered players will be sized for equipment on the two Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.  We will distribute the equipment at the Sunset Park Bandstand.  The players will need the equipment for the practices beginning Tuesday, July 27th.

There are several activities during equipment handout.  Please be prepared for the following.

• Player registration will be available.  A player must be registered to receive equipment.
• Players will be sized for the TCYFA loaner equipment.  This includes a helmet, shoulder pads, and 7 pant pads.  For health reasons, TCYFA does not provide chin straps and mouth guards.  They will be available for purchase at the equipment handouts.  Chin straps are $12 and mouth guards are $1.  Parents are also responsible for providing a practice jersey, practice pants, girdle (for non-snap pads), athletic cup, and appropriate shoes (cleats).
• The issued equipment is registered to your player.  To protect the league’s (your) investment in the equipment, we will require a $100 per player equipment deposit.  The deposit should be a check made out to TCYFA (you will need two checks if you will also be using a check for registration).  We will NOT cash the checks unless the equipment is not returned or is returned in poor condition.  Note that poor condition includes equipment that is returned prior to cleaning.  TCYFA will provide the Cougar logo stickers for the helmets - no other stickers or markings are allowed on the helmet or pads.  Equipment can be returned at the home field during the Super Bowl games or prior to each player banquet.
• Player game uniforms are sized.  Uniforms include a jersey, pants, and socks.  Your player will need to wear suitable clothing to provide for the fitting of the jersey and the pants.  Jerseys will be fitted using the issued shoulder pads.  Pants will be fitted over street clothing.  Please do not wear jeans or bulky shorts.  Parents should ensure that the correct uniform sizes are chosen and recorded.
• Player pictures are taken.  The player picture assists the coaches in the player evaluations and coaching.  They are also printed on the conference weigh in cards which eliminates the need for you to provide a picture during the weigh in.
• Players will need to provide two choices for their player numbers.  Numbers need to be unique within a team.  After the draft, the choices will be evaluated, along with player number history, to determine the actual player number for the jerseys.

July 30^th - Team Drafts

The drafts for the teams will take place on Friday, July 30th.  Your coach will contact you with your team information prior to the practice on Tuesday, August 3rd.  Beginning August 3rd, players will practice with their teams.

Siblings within the same division will be placed on the same team.  The league does not take requests for player placements other than siblings.

August 3^rd through August 12^th – Cougar Apparel Order

Parents will have the opportunity to purchase Cougar gear during this time.  The gear includes t-shirts (short sleeve and long sleeve), short sleeve dri-fit shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and hats.  We only plan to place one order this year so please make sure you complete your order by the end of practice on August 12th.  The apparel should be delivered in time for the first game on August 28th.

August 14^th - Festus Weigh In

All players must attend a weigh in or they will not be eligible to play in any of the team’s games.  It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure they attend a weigh in.  The player’s birth certificate is required for the weigh in. 

It is highly recommended that you attend the Festus weigh in with your team.  It will held on August 14th at the Festus Elementary School Cafeteria from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Your coach will notify you of the team weigh in times at a future date.  If you cannot attend at Festus, please work with your coach to select one of the alternate weigh in locations – a team coach must attend the weigh in with the player.  Arnold’s weigh in will be held on Saturday, August 7th and DeSoto’s weigh in will be held on Wednesday, August 18th. 

NEW – Concessions

Parents will NOT be required to participate in the concession stand duties during the home games.  We contracted with a third party to provide concessions during the Sunset Field practices and the Crystal City games.  The new vendor plans to provide a diversity of food items, including hot lunch / dinner combinations, at reasonable prices.  Please support his efforts and encourage him with food suggestions.

August 21^st - TCYFA Cougar Jamboree

We will celebrate the new season with TCYFA Opening Day festivities at the Crystal City field.  There will be plenty of food and fun for the family.  The player activities will include scrimmages against the other TCYFA teams in the division and team pictures.  We’ll also draw the 2010 raffle winners at the Jamboree. 

August 28^th - First Game

We will play the first game on August 28th, skip September 4th (Labor Day weekend) and resume the games on September 11th.  Games, including the playoffs and Super Bowl, are scheduled to conclude in early November.  We will be working to get your team’s schedule to you as soon as possible.  However, due to items out of our control, they will probably not be available until the week of August 23rd.

November 7^th – Player Banquets

The banquets will be held at Andre’s in the Festus Best Western.  The 5/6 and 7/8 teams will attend from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the 9/10 teams will attend from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the 11/12 teams will attend from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Players do not have to purchase tickets.  Tickets for family members can be purchased toward the end of the season.  Children (12 and under) will cost $8 and adults will cost $10. 

If you have additional questions, please use the Directors tab to contact any of the board members.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you at camp!