Yorktown Athletic Club

2010 Football Program 

The YAC football program is designed to provide a safe, fun, developmental program for children in grades three through eight.  Each of our divisions is coached and structured at a level appropriate with the age of the participants. Our coaches teach “life lessons”, such as the importance of teamwork, discipline and sportsmanship, as well as the game of football. The entire YAC Football program participates in the Candlewood Valley League (CVL) which is part of the American Youth Football (AYF) organization. The CVL is governed by an independent Board of Director. All Divisions are grade specific with no weigh limit. There are rules to govern the maximum and minimum age of the players at each grade level. The AYF/CVL view the single grade system as a key factor in promoting player safety. I hope that this document offers some insight into our philosophies and what we strive to achieve.   

These are the divisions we offer: 

• 79ers – (3^rd Grade Division) – Eleven man football

• 4^th Grade Division - Eleven man football

• 5^th Grade Division - Eleven man football

• 6^th Grade Division - Eleven man football

• 7^th Grade Division - Eleven man football

• 8^th Grade Division - Eleven man football

The 4^th thru 8^th Grade Divisions will follow all CVL and Federation High School Rules

The 79ers (3^rd Grade Division) will follow all and Federation High School Rules with the following exceptions:

• The 79ers are considered Instructional. Coaches are allowed on the field…only two coaches at a time.

• All quarters are 10 minutes (not running clock).

• Blitzing is prohibited. That doesn’t mean you can line up on the Line of Scrimmage and send everyone: teams must use 5-man, 6-man or 4-man defensive fronts and can use 8-man defensive fronts inside the 5 yard line.

• Defensive lineman CAN line-up in gaps and can line up over the center

• Kicking is encouraged, but optional. There is no rushing the kicker on punts, field goals or extra points.

• No fake punts, no fake field goals and no fake extra points

• In case of a bad or, fumbled snap, the kicking team will not be allowed to advance the ball…you can allow them to re-snap and instruct etc.

• If a team elects NOT to Kick Off, the receiving team will start from their own 40 yard line.

• If a team elects NOT to Punt, the receiving team will take the ball 15 yards down field from the Line of Scrimmage

• Mandatory Plays: All players must play a minimum of 15 plays.

I will answer some general Q&A then describe the differences between the divisions: 

1. When does the season start/finish?  The season starts with a four day camp for grades 3 thru 8, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 2nd. It is highly recommended that all Football players attend the camp as this will count towards the mandatory conditioning requirement (10 hours of non-contact conditioning) before players are allowed to participate in full contact practices. The camp is also highly instructional with an emphasis on teaching the fundamentals of each offensive and defensive position. In addition, we will start to introduce the basic concepts of the Wing T offense which is the base scheme for all grades levels. The regular season generally ends the last week of October followed by either Bowl Games (all teams) or Play-off Games if your team qualifies.  All teams play between 7 and 8 regular season games plus at least one Bowl or Play-off game

2. Where and when are practices and games held?  Practices are held at Harrison Apar Field of Dreams between 4 and 8:30pm on weekdays and also on the weekends. Practice days and times are at the discretion of the head coaches. Home games are held at the Yorktown High School on Sundays only.  Away games can be played on either Saturday or Sunday depending on the division and field availability. For the 2010 season, the CVL is looking to create an East and West division which should limit to some extent the amount of travel time to away games and ensure that the local rivalries stay active.

3.      What are the equipment requirements?  Football is a contact sport and as such it is mandatory that each player wear all required football equipment. Each player must purchase his own mouthpiece, athletic cup, cleats, practice jersey and practice pants. All other equipment will be provided by YAC.  

All AYF participants MUST play an active role in each game. Unless noted prior to the start of the game, by absence, by injury, or the participant fails to make weight.

All AYF participants MUST play an active role in a minimum number of plays as follows:

31 - 36 Players = 4 Plays

26 - 30 Players = 6 Plays

16 - 25 Players = 8 Plays

The number of plays required is determined by the numbers of players able to participate at the start of each game.

All Minimum plays must be “Active” plays (punt and punt return are Active plays from the LOS and do count). All special teams plays do not count as plays. All plays must be from the line of scrimmage (LOS). Any Penalties resulting in the replay of the down do not count as plays. Plays that result in a quarterback dropping to his knee with the sole purpose of “playing it safe” will not count as plays.

All participants must receive their minimum mandatory number of plays by the end of the 3rd quarter. Any participant that has not received their minimum plays by the end of the 3rd quarter must enter the game and remain in the game until they have received their required number of plays.

Each team will supply 2 adults, 18 years of age or older, to monitor the Mandatory Play Rule. Failure to supply 2 adults as described will be considered a violation of the Mandatory Play Rule and may result in the forfeiture of the game.

Any person assigned as a Mandatory Play Monitor must be instructed to be respectful while on the opponents sideline or working with the opponents volunteer. There is to be no excessive cheering, cell phone use, and no coaching of any kind. At any time the opponent for any reason may ask that the volunteer be replaced and this request must be complied with immediately without question. Failure to comply will be considered a violation of the Mandatory Play Rule and may result in the forfeiture of the game.

Conferences shall enforce the Mandatory Play Rule. Any team not meeting the Mandatory Play Rule shall forfeit their game. Additional minimum penalties: First offense for the head coach: probation. Second offense for the head coach: suspension for one game and one week of practice. Third offense: suspension for remainder of season. If it is the last game: suspension for the first half of the following season’s games. In the event a suspension should carry over into the next season, the Association that may appoint the offending coach will be obligated to enforce the suspension.

This is a quick description of our program and I am sure that certain questions have not been answered.  Parent meetings will be held by each team to set expectations and to answer any questions you may have. In addition, there will be a number of e-mails sent by the YAC Football program to review player/parent expectations, changes to the program etc.