North Raleigh Wake Forest Athletics offers tackle football for ages 5 to 15, depending on weight. The age is the participant's age on July 31 of this calendar year. There are no tryouts. Participants are placed on teams on a first-come, first-served basis as space permits.
Tackle football players are placed in divisions based on the Pop Warner Little Scholars age and weight requirements. Following are the 2019 age and weight requirements for North Raleigh/Wake Forest Athletics Pop Warner:
INSTRUCTIONAL LEVELS:
TINY MITE TACKLE FOOTBALL (AGES 5-7 MAX WEIGHT 75 LBS)
Tiny Mite football is a fun, instructional level of teaching basic principles of football with an emphasis on team work, blocking, and tackling while having a lot of FUN!! The Tiny Mite season starts in early August and is over at the end of October. There are no playoffs and they play an 8 game season. All practices are Monday through Friday (3 days a week, for 1 1/2 hrs.). All Coaches are Pop Warner and USA Football Certified.
MIGHTY MITE TACKLE FOOTBALL (AGES 7-9 MAX WEIGHT 100LBS) *
Mighty Mite football is an instructional level of teaching basic principles of football with an emphasis on team work, fundamentals, and preparing the child for the competitive levels of play. The Mighty Mite season starts the first week of August and ends at the end of October. Mighty Mite teams will play an 8 game season, with a potential post season Bowl Game. The first 3 weeks of the season, the Mighty Mite level could practice 5 nights a week. Once school begins, they will practice 3 days a week with a game played on Saturdays. All Coaches are Pop Warner and USA Football Certified.
COMPETITIVE LEVELS:
DIVISION 1 & DIVISION 2 (AGES 9-14): See Chart Below
Our Competitive levels could be broken into three divisions: Our highest levels of play are Division 1, and Division 2. Traditionally, the Wake Forest Titans highest level of competitive play has been at the Division 2 level. The same as at the instructional level, your child will learn the basic fundamentals and principles of football, along with our core values of teamwork and sportsmanship. The Division 1 & 2 season starts the first week of August and could go through the first part of December (Pop Warner National Championships as seen on ESPN are held the first part of December in Walt Disney World Florida. This is for teams that win the Conference and Regional Championship). Division 1 & 2 teams are put together by the coaching staff during the first two weeks of practice. Practice will be 5 days a week for the first 3 weeks of August. Once school begins, practice will be cut to 3 days a week with a game played on Saturday. Division 1 & 2 home games will be played on Saturday. Division 1 & 2 will play an 8 game regular season plus playoffs. All Coaches are Pop Warner and USA Football Certified.
DIVISION 3 (AGES 8-14)*: See Chart Below
Division 3 is still a competitive level of play but does not have national playoffs (Conference and Regional Playoffs still exist). Trips to Disney to play other Division 3 teams from around the country is possible, but dependent availability of those teams and budget. At the Division 3 level your child will once again learn the basic fundamentals and principles of football along with our core values of teamwork and sportsmanship. The Division 3 teams will spend a lot of time in these areas. The Division 3 season starts the first week of August and could end Thanksgiving weekend (the Mid-South Regional Championship for teams that win their conference). Practice will be 5 days a week for the first 3 weeks of August. Once school begins, practice will be cut to 3 days a week with a game played on Saturday. Division 3 will play an 8 game regular season plus playoffs. All Coaches are Pop Warner and USA Football Certified. *8 Year Olds weighing over 90 lbs. will be placed on the division 3 competitive level.
Tiny Mite and Mitey Mite divisions are considered noncompetitive. However, Tiny Mite and Mitey Mite teams conclude their season with "Bowl" games against other Consolidated Football Federation (CFF) associations.
Age Requirements
North Raleigh/Wake Forest Athletics are committed to providing our players with the best possible experience in athletics. We want our players to be engaged and excited about football at all levels. We strive to give them an atmosphere where they feel safe and can learn the fundamentals of the game. Due to the wide weight ranges, we encourage all players to remain at the lowest level until they age out of that group. This is especially true for players with little or no experience.
As most other CFF teams do, we are not allowing any 5yr old players to participate in the Tiny Mite tackle football program. NRWFA strongly suggest that all 7yr old players remain in Tiny Mite division to gain proper experience in tackle football.
Please feel free to contact us HERE, to discuss any valid reasons you feel your player should move up a level. The decision is at the discretion of the NRWFA board if that player is eligible to move up.
Weight Requirements
Each tackle football player will be weighed at check-in sessions and again at the beginning of the season to determine and confirm division assignment.
Players must maintain the weight requirements throughout the season for their division. Players will be weighed prior to each game. The first week of the regular season, players must weigh within the published weight range. Each subsequent week, the allowed weight will be increased by one pound. Players are weighed in their uniforms, minus their helmet.
Coaching Opportunities:
We are always looking for qualified coaches. If you have knowledge in coaching the fundamentals and principles of football and are interested in volunteering, please send your resume with youth experience and what level you desire to coach along with a letter of what you feel to be your strengths HERE. Please note that it is mandated that we do a full background check. You must also attend Pop Warner and USA football coach's school along with one other coaching clinic of your choosing.
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