Q&A From the Board
Welcome 2008 Bulldog Families!
Welcome Bulldogs families, to what promises to be another fun and exciting year of Bulldog Football. With tryouts coming to an end, we are sure that your son or daughter is excited about becoming part of a team and beginning to prepare for that first game. With that excitement in mind, we would like to address some information about the Bulldog organization.
We know, as parents, that you want your child to have fun while having the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of football, fair play, and team sportsmanship. For the past 8 seasons, the Bulldog Organization has done just that, taught players skills about the game of football as well as skills that will assist them throughout the rest of their lives which include self confidence, respect, discipline, responsibility, and teamwork. As we begin our ninth season, we continue to strive for that excellence. The football experience is for the benefit of the children who participate in the program rather than for the benefit of the parents or coaches. It is important that we work together to make it a positive one for everyone involved, but especially for your child. Every child will have an opportunity to play regardless of playing skills. Our league division of Mid-10, Mac-10 and Pac-10 allow us a rare opportunity to compete at all levels while developing skills at a pace that caters to your child's skill and knowledge level. We will do everything we can to assist every player to improve their skills and knowledge of the sport. One of products that we hope will come out of playing Bulldog Football is learning the sense of `team' and the importance of sportsmanship. Being a part of a team comes with the expectation that your child will be open to instruction, will show respect, and appropriate behavior and will learn to accept a win or loss with a positive attitude and dignity. It is crucial that all parents and fans also display good sportsmanship and respect for opposing teams, players, coaches, referees, and fans. We are very proud of all of our participants and the hard work that they give each and every day and we expect our participants to represent themselves, their team, and the whole Bulldog organization with pride, dignity and respect. Our expectations fall also on our Bulldog families, coaches and supporters as well. While everyone loves to win, our main objective is teaching the game of football and everything--good and bad, that comes with it. If a player comes away with a positive experience, proud that they did the best they could, did their job for their team, and knows more than they started with, that team's season has been a success.
As an all-volunteer program, we are fortunate to have 13 head coaches with multiple years of coaching experience ranging from 30 years to 3 years as well as a wonderful support staff also with many years of coaching experience at multiple levels. This year we also welcome 5 first time head coaches whom we hope will continue the Bulldog tradition of excellence. Please help us make them feel welcome and give them our support! Please remember that all of our coaches volunteer numerous hours to coach all of our children over the 3 month football season. They do it for the love of the game and the desire to foster that in our children. Please show them the appreciation and respect that they deserve. We are equally as fortunate to have the dedication of our returning parent volunteers that continue to be the life line of the Bulldogs. We look forward to the addition of some new team parents this year as well. Those of you who would like to be involved, but can't volunteer the time needed to coach, please consider being a team parent or helping with one of our many committees. Please fill out a `Team Parent' volunteer form or see one of our board members for direction on where your help could benefit the league the most.
We will continue to do our best to communicate to our families throughout the season. This communications may be done via email, mail, or by phone from our board members, coaches or team parents. You can also go online and visit our website at www.bulldogyouthfootball.com for information or upcoming events. Please don't hesitate to contact any of our board members with questions or concerns you may have. All email addresses for our board members can be found on the website under `Contacts'. We welcome any and all input our Bulldog families would like to offer. We are a member community of the The Chicagoland Youth Football League (TCYFL). You can also visit their website which can provide you with schedules, directions, scores, and standings. That website is www.tcyfl.net.
We hope you and your child have a great season and a ton of fun!
The WKCYF Executive Board
Q. How long does the football season run?
A. The first games for all divisions start on Labor Day weekend. Games are played thru 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 & thigh pads, girdle with hip pads & 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 & 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 & cups. All equipment (helmet, shoulder pads, practice & game pants, knee pads, thigh pads & 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 & 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 hour 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 Bulldog's 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 player's 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 email 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.
Q. Where can I get Bulldog Spirit wear?
A. Some spirit wear is available at registration and equipment handout. If you missed out on those opportunities, a spirit wear order form will be going out once teams have been split. Spirit wear may also be sold at home games when available.