W.K.C.Y.F.
The Western Kenosha County Youth Football Program (W.K.C.Y.F.), also known as the Bulldogs, offers tackle football, flag football, and cheerleading to all youth, boys and girls that reside in Western Kenosha County. Over 500 children participated in the W.K.C.Y.F. programs during the 2009 season. The Bulldogs celebrated their tenth anniversary season this fall. The Bulldogs are an all volunteer non-for-profit organization who strive to provide a quality experience for all boys and girls.

Mission Statement:
It is the mission of the W.K.C.Y.F. Bulldogs to provide for the youth an opportunity to help them develop desirable physical skills and to mature both emotionally and socially. The W.K.C.Y.F. coaches try and develop high standards in our players that will last a lifetime.

Attitude:       Your attitude will determine your altititude, how high can you climb.
Effort:            Give your whole heart in everything you do in life.
Endurance:  If it is worth starting, it is worth finishing. See things through to the end.

We always strive for the following: 

• To provide a meaningful experience for all of our participants through quality instruction, emphasizing good sportsmanship and equitable playing time along with teamwork, respect, dedication and discipline.
   
• To provide an atmosphere where each child feels a sense of belonging and achievement regardless of physical ability.

 

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
We are now accepting applications for 2010 Football and Cheerleading Coaches. The Bulldog Organization is growing fast! We are always looking for volunteers with a passion for football or cheerleading to donate their time for an outstanding cause. Please come and share your knowledge with the area’s youth. Interested parties can download a volunteer application from the website and e-mail it to: vpoftackle@bulldogyouthfootball.com. You can also stop by at registration or attend a monthly meeting. Volunteers do not have to have a child involved in the program.

The monthly meeting dates are posted on the website. Currently the Bulldogs meet the third Thursday of the month at the Salem Public Library at 7:00pm in the meeting room. Meetings are open to the public. Members of the Bulldog organization must attend 5 out of 11 meetings in order to have voting rights at the annual election in November.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. How long does the football season run? A. The first games for all divisions start on Labor Day weekend. Games are played though late October to mid November (depending upon how far in the play-offs your team goes). Q. What does my child need to bring/wear to practices/games? A. For the first week of practice, your child should wear shorts, tee shirts, and football cleats to practice until the first practice in August, after this, players should come dressed in their full practice uniform, (including helmet, shoulder pads, practice pants with knee pads and thigh pads, girdle with hip pads and tail bone pad, practice jersey or large t-shirt that fits over shoulder pads, mouthpiece and football cleats). All players need to wear athletic supporters and cups. All players need to bring water to each practice. Your child should wear their full game uniforms (including mouthpiece and football cleats) to all games. All players need to wear athletic supporters and cups. All equipment (helmet, shoulder pads, practice and game pants, knee pads, thigh pads and belt) need to be returned at the end of the season. Equipment should be returned clean and in good condition. Parents will be held responsible for the replacement of any equipment showing more than the normal wear and tear. Players keep their game jerseys. Q. Where are the games played at? A. Our home games are played at Westosha Central High and Wilmot Union High School. Games may also be played at Millennium Field in Twin Lakes. Our away games are played in various towns. Check the TCYFL’s website (www.tcyfl.net) which lists Mid-10, Mac-10 and Pac10 schedule as well as corresponding directions to those locations. Team parents will also be providing parents with copies of these directions the week of the away games. Q. How often will my child play games and practice? A. Your child's team will practice 4-5 days/week (Monday-Saturday) during the pre-season months of mid July through August. Team practice times will vary from coach to coach due to their availability. Individual team schedules will be made available from the head coach. Practices after the first game, Labor Day weekend, will be cut down to 3-4 days/week. Practices for some teams may change in the post season. All practice information is subject to change. Games are played on either Saturdays or Sundays. Pac-10 teams generally play on Saturday and Mid-10 teams generally play on Sunday with an occasional Saturday night game. Game day times generally start as early as 9:00am. Players need to be there 1 ½ hours before game time for warm-up and weigh-in. Games then proceed at 1 ½ hour intervals. Each division’s schedules may vary week to week. Please check team schedules for times or contact your head coach. Q. Are games/practices ever rained out or snowed out? A. Unless there is dangerous weather in the area, games and practices will go on as scheduled. Coaches may elect to cut practice short in light of inclement weather or they may wait to see if it passes. If lightening is present, then a game or practice will stop immediately. Please be aware of the approach of storms during practices and/or games. You will need to be prepared to pick up your player(s) should bad weather develop seeing as there is nowhere to shelter all players. Q. What is the difference between Mid-10, Mac-10 and Pac-10? A. Mid-10 teams usually play on Sunday. The Mid-10 coach selects his players first in the team selections. Mid-10 emphasizes competition at a high level. Mac-10 teams can play on either Saturday or Sunday. The Mac-10 is selected after the Mid-10 team has been selected. The Mac-10 emphasizes competition at an intermediate level. Pac-10 teams take part in a draft in which the remaining players are split equally among the remaining teams. Pac-10 emphasizes instruction, development, and participation. Pac-10 teams play an eleven on, eleven off format so that all participants receive equal playing time. Scores and standings are officially recorded in all three divisions. All divisions have end of the season play-offs. Q. How do I know at which level my child will play? A. The WKCYF Bulldogs are a member of The Chicagoland Youth Football League. We are required to abide by the TCYFL’s rules and regulations for placement of players in accordance to their age and weight. Players may be required to change teams or weight groups due to weight gain or weight loss from time of registration weigh-in to pre-season practices. Most of the levels have maximum weight levels assigned to them. However, some levels allow for exception players (players who weigh more) in special circumstances. For example, young players who based on their weight should be playing at a higher level might be able to play at a lower level because of their age. All exception players’ cases go before the TCYFL’s board before being placed on a team. Pac10 teams are allowed 1 exception player each. Some players may be light enough to play at a lower level; however, because of their age they're moved up to a higher level. All players are officially weighed in weekly during the season to make sure that the weight restrictions are being followed. All players’ birth certificates are checked and filed to make sure that the age restrictions are being followed. You can refer to the TCYFL’s website or with your coach for more specific weights and ages. The Bulldogs strongly encourage parents to abide by the guidelines set by the TCYFL at the onset of practice. The WKCYF does not encourage or support weight loss to keep a player at a specific level. Q. How are players placed on teams? A. Players are evaluated in different categories (such as blocking ability, passing ability, and catching ability) for the first week/weeks of practice. Attitude and coach-ability will also play an important role in player selection. After that, the coaches draft their players for their team in the league they're coaching in based upon their scores during evaluations. During evaluations, all players at the same level practice together. After teams have been drafted, players practice with their own teams. Q. Can my child pick the position he/she wants to play? A. Players wishes and talents will be taken into consideration when coaches choose their positions but it is the coaches who ultimately decide who will play what position. Football is a team sport and a coach has to consider all of his players' talents and team's needs when assigning positions. Q. What if my child cannot make a practice/game? A. If your child cannot make a practice, please let your child's head coach know as soon as you know. It is especially imperative that an absence on game day be notified early enough for the head coach to make game plan adjustments for your child’s position. Q. How are we notified of practice or game changes/cancellations? A. Individual coaches along with the Team Parent will determine how to inform their team of any schedule change. Either phone tree or e-mail notification (or both) will be used. Please provide your coach and team parent with updated phone numbers and email addresses to ensure you can be reached.