Here you can find answers to many of the questions you may have about all aspects of the Talbot Braves Football and Cheer organization. We hope you find this information useful. If you have any additional questions please don't hesitate to ask!
General FAQ's
Talbot County Youth Football & Cheer is a youth football and cheer organization serving Talbot county. We are affiliated with American Youth Football (AYF) and have been committed to providing a positive football/cheer experience to the youth of Talbot County for over 18 years. The Talbot Braves are a part of the Bayside Youth Football and Cheer Conference that is comprised of North Caroline, South Caroline, Dorchester, Kent Island, Snow Hill, Salisbury, and Kent County. Bayside is part of the AYF Big East region. For more information on AYF regions please visit https://www.americanyouthfootball.com/regions.html
American Youth Football, Inc., established in 1996, is a support services organization, dedicated to Giving Back to communities by promoting the wholesome development of youth through their association with exemplary adult leaders in the sport of American football and cheer. Guidelines are established to ensure that players play in an atmosphere of learning with a competitive balance between teams.
We are run by a board of directors. Our board is comprised of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Safety Commissioner, Football Commissioner, Cheer Commissioner, Fundraising Chair, and Registration Chair. For more information on any of these positions or how you can join our board please email talbotbravesayf@gmail.com
NO! Tryouts of any kind are prohibited by AYF. Anyone that signs up according to the AYF and Talbot Braves guidelines will automatically gain a roster spot. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, economic or social background, or experience of play.
We follow the guidelines for AYF All American age protected unlimited weight divisions of play. This means that children are rostered according to age, not weight or playing ability. Our football and cheer teams are broken down into the following divisions: 7U, 9U, 11U, and 13U.
Minimum age: Must be 5 by July 31st of the current season.
Maximum age: Must not turn 14 before July 31st of the current season.
YES!
As with any organization, it costs money to run this program. We are a non-profit organization that has limited funds but provides numerous opportunities so that every child has the opportunity to play in a positive, motivating environment. Our expenses include; referee fees, field maintenance fees, travel fees, uniforms, new equipment, reconditioning of exsiting equipment mandated by AYF, field equipment (mats, cones, tackling bags etc., insurance, conference and AYF dues/fees and more.
Sponsorship deadline is July 31st. Without the help of the local community, we would not be able to provide a safe & enriching program for the children of Talbot County. We are a 501c3, so your donation is tax deductible.
Please check the following link for more information or contact us at talbotbravesayf@gmail.com
Registration
The player counts for each grade need to be finalized well in advance of the season. By doing this the Association can ensure there will be sufficient equipment and uniforms. Risking insufficient equipment or number of uniforms would have a significant impact on the quality of season and could prohibit participants from participating in practices.
Registration fees for football are $125 plus a $200 deposit for equipment. The $200 deposit covers the cost of uniforms and equipment should it not be turned in at the end of the season. Among other things the registration fees go towards the purchasing and maintenance of equipment, uniforms, officials for each game, field fees, league insurance and league dues.
Registration requirements;
- Forms (all forms can be found in the “documents” section of our website): AYF and Talbot Braves mandated documents, medical clearance (must be filled out by your child's doctor), photo release statement, participation contracts.
- A copy of the player birth certificate (if you are a returning player we already have this on file)
- A copy of the players most recent report card. AYF requires documentation of grade based age and academic good standing in order to play.
- $200 deposit for uniform/equipment (will be returned or destroyed at the end of the season provided ALL uniform pieces and equipment is returned in the same condition it was issued). Please postdate checks to October 31st of current year.
- $125 registration fee.
All registration materials MUST BE HANDED IN BY THE FIRST PRACTICE or your child will NOT be able to practice!
Refunds are issued at the discretion of the Board. They will be addressed on an individual basis.
Coaching
Parents or volunteers who show interest in coaching football or cheerleading are initially screened to ensure their backgrounds do not conflict in the safety of the players. Parents or volunteers who do not want to be a head coach, but want to help out whenever they can are also welcome.
While it is helpful, it is not necessary to have any coaching experience, or be an expert in football/cheer. All coaches will be required to take certification course (most are done online). All courses and certifications are payed for by the organization. All coaches and must fill out the required paperwork and agree to and pass a background check. We require at least one coach per team to be CPR certified.
All coaches and board members are volunteers. There is no financial compensation.
Helpers are always needed! NO PRIOR FOOTBALL/CHEER EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. Help holding blocking dummies, filling in holes during a scrimmage or organizing players on the practice field is welcome. There have even been active Moms that assist in these duties! For home games, help is needed for the concession stand, field setup and breakdown.
As a general rule, wait until after a practice/game in person, via phone or email. Before or during a practice or game is distracting from the necessary focus for the activity.
*Please remember our coaching staff is comprised of volunteers. In most cases, these individuals are taking time away from their full-time jobs and families. Just like everyone else, the coaches and refs are human and make mistakes. Please treat them with the kindness, compassion, and respect they deserve.
Scheduling, Practices, and Games
All participants (football and cheer), regardless of when they join the team, must have at least one week of conditioning (at least 10 hours) before they are allowed to engage in regular practice sessions.
These hours are mandatory and must be coach supervised. If you child misses any time during this conditioning period, he/she MUST make it up prior to having full pad contact practice NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
Practices:
Practice schedules are set by each head coach and may vary slightly from week to week depending on the coaches availability. Teams will typically practice 3-4 days a week until the first game or until school starts.
Games:
The seasons game schedule is usually approved by the conference board in March and is made public shortly after. Please keep in mind that this early schedule can change. We try very hard to make you aware of any changes as soon as we possibly can. Games are played on Saturdays with times being determined by level of play.
- Practices begin the last week of July are held at The Easton Elks on Dutchmans Lane
- Generally, practice will be held 2-3 nights a week from 5:30-7:30 (the exact days and times are at the discretion of the head coach and may vary by team).
- It is VERY important that players are at practice on time and fully suited up as the warm up and stretching portion of the practice is necessary to minimize muscle pulls and injuries.
- In the event your child(ren) must miss practice, you must notify one of your coaches to inform them.
- If a player misses too many practices during a week, they may not be able to play in that week’s game, at the discretion of the head coach.
- Please pick up after yourselves (empty water bottles etc.).
- If you are dropping off your child to practice, please arrive promptly to pick up them up. Also, please ensure you are aware of the weather as there are many times especially in the beginning of the season practice may be cut short.
The youth football season is VERY short. There are fewer than 80 days from the first practice to last play-off game, and weeknight practices and games are limited by daylight after September (many fields do not have lights). Also, many of the Winter sports begin ramping up as the youth football season is concluding. Any further overlap would be detrimental to the player’s experience in both overlapping activities.
There may be times the weather inhibits our playtime. You will be notified of any cancelations or delays as soon as possible.
Weather policy- If the field is playable the practice/game will take place. Should there be visible lightning our policy is to clear the field of all players. No player shall be allowed back on the field for 30 minutes after the last lightning strike. Sometimes this means the cancelation of scheduled practices or games. Please be aware of weather conditions as it may require a practice to end early, especially if you are not present on the field. Please have a plan in place should this occur.
AYF mandates the number of plays each player must have at each game. This number depends on the number of total players on the team. In addition to the mandated play count, the amount of game time your child plays depends on many factors including their effort, attitude, and attendance. In the event you have a question about your child, please speak with your head coach and he will address your particular situation. Please DO NOT address these issues during the game.
Volunteering
We know that everyone is very busy, but every family is expected to volunteer in one form or another.
There are volunteering opportunities for everyone! Some of the ways you can help include; field crew, concessions, fundraising, coaching, and joining the board or a committee. You can find more about each of these Here. If you have any questions, want more information, or would like to sign up for any of these volunteering opportunities please contact a board member.
Football is one of the only sports where the major personal equipment (helmet and shoulder pads) is provided to the players for their use during the season. This equipment is very expensive. While Cheer does not require “equipment” there are many additional cost that cheer acquires. Including but not limited to the cost of competitions, music fees, and choreography.
In addition to this, we have numerous expenses throughout the season officials for each game, field fees, league insurance and league dues - the registration fees collected do not come close to covering these costs. Because of this, fundraising is an integral part of our organization.
TeamSnap
We have collaborated with TeamSnap. TeamSnap is used by 22 million people, 3 million teams and 19,000 sport organizations and is #1 ranking for both team and club management software. This partnership will provide us with the means to integrate all aspects of our organization and provide everyone with a number of benefits you’re sure to love.
- Improved Organization and Team Communications
- FREE Player/Parent App to Stay Up to Date
- Simplified Registration Pages and Payment Process
- Features to improve running Teams
- Improved Device Responsive Website
- Single Family Sign In for multiple kids
- Calendar syncing sync the team calendar from the app right to your favorite mobile calendar program, (google calendar, iOS and android native calendars, outlook, and other iCal compatible calendars).
- And much more!
For other questions about how to use certain features of either the TeamSnap website or mobile app please visit the following link… https://helpme.teamsnap.com/article/134-welcome-guide-for-members-and-contacts
When you register online you will either create a TeamSnap account or be asked to log into an existing account. Many other sports organizations in the community use TeamSnap so if you are already registered with TeamSnap through another organization there is no need to create a new account.
Once you have a TeamSnap account you can download and use the TeamSnap mobile app. You can also access your TeamSnap account online. The online dashboard has a few features that are not available on the app. Among these online only feature are; the ability to upload document to your profile. This is very handy for submitting documents such as medical clearance, a copy of your participants birth certificate or report card and any other documents that may be needed. You can also upload photos taken from your personal camera (mobile photos may be uploaded via the mobile APP).
The TeamSnap app is free for iOS and Android. It is extremely user friendly with lots of bells and whistles. We are asking that this be THE source of communication for each team. You will be sent an invite to join the app upon registration. If have a TeamSnap account at the time of registration you will be added to the Braves team(s) within our organization account after you have been assigned to a team(s).
Having one method of communication within each team not only keeps everyone on the same page but also helps keep communications organized. In the past many teams were using multiple methods to communicate to their teams including email, text messages, and the previously used app. This will illuminate the need for coaches/team moms to manually enter the email and or phone number for every member of their team into their personal accounts or text groups.
Teams will be able to reach out to their members on the app via team chat, group or individual email, and group or individual message. Having these abilities eliminates the need for coaches and or team moms to add all the team members into their personal email or text groups.
Individual team members also have the ability to communicate with other team members and coaches either individually or as a group message via the app email and message system. This is a valuable asset in coordinating rides, swapping concession stand/team snack duties, or networking with your teammates.
The TeamSnap app has a wonderful feature that allows for tracking of specified items/documents for each team. This is a great way to ensure your team has all their required document on file. This feature will be set up so that only designated people can see what has or has not been turned in. Coaches and Team moms will have access to this information which will help ensure if someone has something outstanding it can be communicated easily and effectively. This tool can also be used to track who has turned in fundraisers, who has signed up for concessions etc. keeping everyone on the same page.
Football
We provide every football player with:
- Football pants
- Shoulder pads
- Helmet with chin strap
- Game jersey
Please note that all of the helmets and shoulder pads are inspected and reconditioned according to AYF safety guidelines.
- A pair of molded football cleats (no metal spikes)
- A practice jersey or extra-large shirt to cover shoulder pads during practice (should pad must be covered by a jersey or shirt during practices)
- Athletic supporter (cup)
- Mouth guard- at the youth level the mouthguard is required to have a strap that connects the mouthpiece to the helmet
- (Optional)- chinstraps are provided but many players choose to purchase a more padded option.
- (Optional)- some players chose to purchase their own football pants. Pants can be any color for practices however they must be BLACK to be able to wear them in game.
We equip each player with a fitted helmet and chin guard, shoulder pads, padded pants, and game jersey. Equipment will be handed out at a designated time before the season starts. Players who choose the raffle option as part of their registration fee must turn in their raffle money prior to receiving their game jersey. Helmets will be fitted to each child’s head that day. All equipment MUST be turned in at the end of the season in order to get your $200 deposit back.
Yes. To properly fit a player with equipment they MUST be present.
Cheer
- A customized t-shirt will be provided that they may keep after the season is over
- Bow will also be provided
- Comfortable tennis shoes
- Matt/towel for stretching
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