Program Hilights Participation: Boys ages 5-14 Season: End of July thru October - see calendar for actual dates. Practices: During camp, July 26 - September 3, Monday - Friday (Saturday's are up to the coach), two hour practices. After camp, three days per week, times determined by the coach. Community: Players make friends from throughout Irvine. Irvine Chargers is a BIG family.

OVERVIEW
We are Irvine Youth Football & Cheer (IYF&C), an Irvine based non-profit corporation dedicated to bringing the benefits of organized football and cheer to the children of Irvine. We provide opportunities for children ages 5 to 14 to participate in organized football and for youths ages 4 to 13 to participate in cheerleading. Our organization is run entirely by volunteers, most of whom have children in our football and cheer programs. We have sponsored football in Irvine since 1971, so long that now some of our alumni have children in our program and serve as coaches or board members. Our teams are known as the Irvine Chargers.

Last year we fielded six football teams with a total of over 160 players. The youngest team, which competes in the Future division, plays flag football. The other teams play regulation tackle football in full football gear. We had 3 league champions in 2008. We also had more than 50 cheerleaders and mascots. Our cheer squads took 1st place at the OCJAAF cheer competition.

We and 27 sister organizations located in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties are members of Orange County Junior All-American Football (OCJAAF), another non-profit corporation. OCJAAF acts as the governing and coordinating body for all of our football and cheer programs.

The sister organizations include: Baldwin Hills, Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Carson, Cerritos, Compton, Corona, Downey, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Inglewood, Long Beach, Mission Viejo, Newport-Mesa, Norwalk-Santa Fe Springs, Orange, Placentia, Riverside, Rowland Heights, South Bay, South Gate, South Orange County, Westminster and Whittier.

FOOTBALL DIVISIONS
General
IYF&C sponsors football teams at several different divisions based on ages and weights. The youngest level, referred to as the Future division, plays “flag” football, while the other divisions play “tackle” football in full football gear. The tackle football divisions, from youngest to oldest, are Junior Clinic, Clinic, Junior Pee Wee, Pee Wee, Junior Midget and Midget.

Age is determined by reference to August 1 of each year. By way of example, a player who will turn 13 in August is treated as a 12-year old for football purposes.

Residency also is a factor in a player's eligibility. Both OCJAAF and the City of Irvine have eligibility rules based on residency.

Future (Flag)
Future league is for players 5 - 8 years old. There are no weight requirements for flag football. Players ages 7 - 8 also have the option to tryout for tackle football (Jr. Clinic).

Tackle
For this season, the age and initial weight requirements for our tackle football divisions are:

Age is "football age;" i.e. the player's age at July 31, 2010. Weight is in pounds. Divisions are outlined below.

The initial weights are confirmed in a “certification” process when prospective players are weighed without equipment. If a player does not make weight in the certification process, the player may not wear football equipment or participate in practice until he makes weight in a make-up certification.The upper weight limits increase each week during the season to accommodate the fact that the players are growing. Players are weighed before each game to ensure that they satisfy the applicable weight requirements. A player who does not satisfy the weight requirement will not be permitted to play in the game.

FOOTBALL EQUIPMENT
Every tackle football player must wear equipment, including: helmet & face mask, mouth guard, shoulder pads, girdle, jock strap, and knee, thigh, hip, and tail bone pads.

Players must purchase the required chin strap, girdle, jock strap, and knee, thigh, hip and tail bone pads plus practice pants. IYF&C provides for use the helmet, face mask, mouth guard, shoulder pads, game jersey, game pants and practice jerseys.

Players must also provide their own footwear. Non-detachable rubber molded cleat shoes, bar cleated little league baseball shoes, and tennis shoes are permitted. Steel, aluminum, hard rubber, or nylon with metal cap cleats are not permitted. Also, detachable cleats are not permitted.

Prior to each game, the players are weighed and their equipment is checked by league officials. A player with missing or improper equipment may not play in the game.

We depend on the return of football equipment to support other youth who participate and to minimize the cost of participation. You will be financially responsible for the replacement cost of any equipment and uniforms that are lost or not returned as follows:

• Football helmet $140
• Shoulder pads $60
• Game pants $45

Please do not abuse the equipment. At the end of the season, please return the equipment at the end of the final game. Head Coaches will be responsible for collecting equipment at that time.

FOOTBALL PRACTICE
Pre-season
Practice will begin on July 26. Practices will usually be held five days each week for two hours per day, until school starts. Saturday practices or scrimmages are at the discretion of your coach. Please refer to the 2010 Calendar for all relevant dates and times.

Week 1
Players will wear shorts, T-shirts and football shoes. Practice will consist of non-contact conditioning drills and skill evaluations. Each player must provide his own athletic supporter, shoes and socks. IYF&C will provide shorts and a T-shirt as part of a "spirit pack," the cost of which is included in participation fees. Players may not wear football gear or engage in contact drills until they have completed at least 10 hours of supervised conditioning.

Week 2
Qualifying players will wear football gear and have limited contact with tackling dummies and shields. IYF&C will issue football gear on an announced schedule preceding the second week of practice. There will be no "man on man" contact during the second week of practice.

Week 3
Players will wear football gear and engage in full contact drills. The first scrimmage is usually scheduled at the end of the third week.

Scrimmages
Commencing on the Saturday at the end of the third week of practice, teams may scrimmage against other teams in the same age and weight division. A team may have a maximum of five scrimmages in the pre-season. Most Head Coaches schedule scrimmages and they may be at other locations. Head Coaches will announce the day, time, and location of scrimmages as they are arranged. The information will also be published on the individual teams web site.

During Season
After the first regular season game, practices will be limited to three nights per week for two hours each night. Unless otherwise advised by the Head Coach, players wear football gear to practice. Scheduling of practices is at the discretion of the head coaches. Practices will not continue past 8:30 p.m and generally end between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Practice Locations
Practices are expected to take place at Heritage Park (off Walnut near Yale).

Practice Participation Critical
We cannot overemphasize the importance of participating in practices. We stress individual player development and commitment to the team. Precious practice time is spent conditioning, learning and practicing individual skills, and learning and practicing team plays. All of these activities are critical to a player’s individual growth and the team as a whole.

Head Coaches may establish policies regarding participation in practice. These policies will be announced by each Head Coach but unexcused absences will have consequences, including becoming ineligible to play in football games and dismissal from the program.

FOOTBALL GAMES
The Irvine Chargers play football against teams sponsored by our sister organizations. The various teams are organized into leagues based on a lottery.

Teams generally play an eight game schedule followed by single elimination playoffs leading to the OCJAAF “Super Bowl.” The Flag division plays nine regular season games followed by a single post-season game.

All regular games will be played on Saturdays. Home games will be played at the Irvine Chargers home field - Irvine Stadium - where the high school varsity teams play and Irvine High School. Home games usually start at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., with the younger teams generally having the earlier start times and the older teams having the later start times. Flag games are an exception as they start at 8:30 or 9:30 a.m.

Away games are generally at the same times except a few chapters have lighted stadiums and may host night games. Our web site and the 2009 Official Schedule (to be issued by OCJAAF after the start of practice) provide maps to the other teams’ fields.

Players must arrive in time for weigh-in which is scheduled an hour before the start of the game. Weigh-in is the process during which OCJAAF certified officials weigh players and check their equipment.

It is important to know that some travel is involved and distances can be as much as a 100 miles round trip. Our games may be played in Orange County, Los Angeles County, and Riverside County.

Before you register your child, make sure that you completely understand the travel requirements and the importance of your child's total participation in every event, home and away.

The dates, times and locations of games is determined by OCJAAF via a random draw to take place on August 4. Final game schedules will be available before the first regular season game. Final game schedules will also be available on individual team web sites.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS
Physicals are required for all football players. IYF&C arranges for physicals to be performed at a date and time to be determined. The cost of this physical exam is included in the registration fee. Please refer to the Calendar for the date, time and location.

If you cannot attend this event, or if you wish to have the examination performed by a personal physician, the examination will be at your expense. If a private physical is performed, the physician must complete and sign the OCJAAF player contract. Please contact your the league Player Agent for additional information. Their email can be found on the Board of Directors listing.

OCJAAF PLAYER CONTRACTS
An OCJAAF player contract will be typed by a chapter official using information derived from applications. The information must be correct and may not be altered. The entire contract must be retyped if any changes are required. Please, as a courtesy to our all-volunteer staff, make every effort to ensure that your application is complete and accurate. As part of the registration process, we collect photocopies of birth certificates and two original proofs of residence (utility bills). The parent whose name is on the utility bills must be the one who signs the contract. Prior to Certification (discussed below), we will also need to examine the original birth certificates, but for registration purposes a copy is sufficient. The utility bills will be returned to you once your player has been certified by OCJAAF.

CERTIFICATION
Certification is the process by which prospective player’s qualifications to participate are verified. Certification takes place on Certification Day. Please refer to the Calendar for the date, time and location.

Every chapter involved in OCJAAF participates in Certification Day so literally thousands of players will go through the process on that single day.

Any player who does not certify on Certification Day may not wear football gear or participate in practices, scrimmages or games until a make-up certification has occurred. A limited number of make-up certifications will be offered after Certification Day. Please refer to the Calendar for dates, times and locations.

If a player does not certify by the final make-up certification opportunity, the player will be dropped from the program.

FOOTBALL COST
Philosophy
We are a non-profit corporation and budget to operate on essentially a break even basis. While we sponsor football and cheer programs, football is separately and independently budgeted. To make the program as affordable as possible, we re-use equipment each year and engage in various fund raising activities. Our expenses every year include, among others: (1) replacing uniforms and equipment as necessary, (2) reconditioning and re-certifying helmets and shoulder pads, (3) team and individual pictures, (4) team fees payable to OCJAAF (our umbrella organization) that cover insurance, referees, supplies and other costs, (5) individual trophies, (6) field and facilities use, and (7) general & administrative expenses.

All of our board members, officers, coaches and team moms are volunteers and none of them are compensated for the hundreds of hours they devote to our program.

Participation Fees
Participation fees are $225 for Future division players and $375 for Tackle division players. Participation fees include registration fees ($125 for Future division players and $275 for Tackle division players) and $100 in raffle tickets.

We provide the raffle tickets as a way to offset the cost to participants. You may sell the raffle tickets and keep the money raised or keep the raffle tickets and take your chance of winning any of several prizes awarded when the drawing is held. For families with more than one participant in the program, whether football or cheer, you are required to purchase $100 in raffle tickets for both.

We conduct the raffle at our Casino Night Fundraiser Event. Please refer to the Calendar for the date, time and location.

Please note that before a player will be considered registered in our program, all fees must be paid in full. Partial payments will only be accepted if approved by the Board of Directors.

Refunds
Refunds will be issued in the following circumstances:

• If IYF&C is unable to field a team at a particular division, a full refund of registration fees ($375 for tackle, $225 for flag) will be given to everyone signed up for that team.
• A prospective player on a waiting list will be entitled to a full refund of registration fees upon request at any time. Please contact the Treasurer to request a refund.
• If a player drops prior to physical day, the refund will be $350 for tackle and $200 for flag.
• If a player drops after physical day, the refund is $200 for tackle and $100 for flag.
• If a player is cut from a team, the refund will be $200 for tackle; there are no cuts for flag.
• No refund will be given with respect to a player dropping after August 14.
• Refunds WILL NOT be given for raffle tickets.

In all circumstances, all league-issued football equipment must be returned before any refund will be paid. We depend on the return of football equipment to support other players who participate and to minimize the cost of participation.

TEAM ROSTER LIMITS
Our goal is to provide an opportunity for every Irvine youth who wants to play football to do so. Unfortunately, our ability to accommodate players is not unlimited and we may not be able to accept every prospective player. OCJAAF rules limit the number of players per team; additionally the availability of coaching staffs, field space and football equipment all impact how many players we can serve. Nevertheless, we endeavor to serve as many players as we can.

OCJAAF rules establish a maximum of 24 certified players on a Future division team. They also establish a maximum of 33 certified players on any other level team.

If we have at least 55 applicants for a particular team, we will attempt to establish a second team. Our ability to do so will depend on securing a coaching staff and practice fields, among other things.

APPLICATION PROCESS
An application must be completed for every prospective football player. An application must be accompanied by payment in full of the participation costs.

Register online at the website by clicking on the link (preferred).

Applications may be obtained and completed as follows:

Register By Mail

An application may be downloaded from this website and printed at home so that it may be completed and mailed, along with supporting documentation and the participation costs. The mailing address is included in the application. Click here to download the application.

All information requested on the application must be provided accurately. This information is used to prepare "player contracts" required for the certification process. An incomplete application will not be accepted and may result in a prospective player losing a spot on a team or priority on a waiting list. Incorrect information may preclude participation in football or cheerleading. To assist us in preparing contracts, participants must provide us with a photocopy of a birth certificate and two utility bills confirming the participant's residence. These documents will be kept with the application.

VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers Are Critical
Simply put, our program would not exist without volunteers. We do not compensate any of our volunteers, including coaches, board members and team moms, yet they and many others devote a substantial amount of their time and energy to support our youth sports program.

For example, consider the time our coaches devote. They attend 10 hours of practice per week during pre-season and attend OCJAAF and IYF&C meetings and training sessions. During the season, they participate in 6 hours of practice per week and attend games every Saturday. On top of this, most coaches spend additional time each week preparing for games by participating in coaches’ meetings, reviewing game films and scouting upcoming opponents. They also spend time talking with parents and their players outside of practice and helping IYF&C with activities such as fundraising.

This year we will serve approximately 250 Irvine children from the time practices begin in late July until the season ends with the Super Bowls and all-conference games in mid-December.

Here are some examples of jobs for which we need volunteers:

Team Mom
This is a critical position on each team. The Team Mom, just like a mom at home, has too many responsibilities to list. Among other things, she keeps the team roster, organizes and motivates other team volunteers, knows or gets the answer to every question, makes sure parents know what they need to know and arranges team activities. The Team Mom acts as the link between parents and the team’s coach.

Snack Bar
In the past, we have operated a snack bar at every home game. Snack bar profits are an important source of revenue for our program. The snack bar is set-up and staffed by volunteers. The snack bar is conveniently located to provide a view of the game and offers a great opportunity to meet and talk with other members of the Charger family. Each team is assigned a particular Saturday to work. If you have children on multiple teams, you may be asked to work for each team. The shifts are usually 2-3 hours in length. Should you wish to buy out of your shift, the pre-buy out must be done by the Thursday prior to your shift at the cost of $75. If you fail to show for your scheduled shift without buying out, you will be assessed a $100 fine or your child must sit out the following week of practice and their next scheduled game.

Team Equipment Manager
The Team Equipment Manager helps with the issuance and collection of football equipment (i.e., helmet, shoulder pads, jersey, pants, etc.). He also is the custodian of the team box that has tools, spare parts and first aid supplies. Among other things, he may replace a broken chin strap or repair a broken helmet snap. The Team Equipment Manager must attend every game.

Weigh-In Official
The Weigh-In Official conducts the official weigh-in and equipment inspection before each game.

Chain Gang
The Chain Gang works the chains during the game, which provides the best view in the house.

Article Writer
The Team Media person writes a short and concise, yet thrilling and engaging, article about each game that is published in the Irvine World News and posted on the Irvine Charger individual team web site. The Team Media person may also post pictures on the web site.

Field Set-Up & Take-Down
Volunteers are needed early Saturday mornings and Satureday evenings for field preparation and take down. Saturday morning, our volunteers distribute yardage markers on the field, place pads on the goal posts, set up the sound system and rope off the field when we are not using the IHS stadium.

After the last game ends on Saturday afternoon or evening volunteers will collect and store the yardage markers, post pads, take the rope off the field, and take down the sound system.

Time Clock
Volunteers operate the scoreboard at each game. This involves starting and stopping the game clock and recording the score.

Team Photographer
The team photographer takes pictures at games and events for players, their families, the yearbook and posting on our website.

Casino Night
Each season, the Irvine Chargers host a night of adult fun - all for the benefit of the kids! This event includes a silent auction with outstanding items to win, fun with friends and the opportunity to meet new people within the Charger family. Volunteers and prize donations make this event possible.

Year End Party
Each team has their own celebration at the end of every season. Everyone is given a trophy and individual recognition is made of each participant.

Volunteering can be rewarding. You get the chance to interact with other Irvine Charger family members and to contribute to the program. Without volunteers, we do not have a program and no football players or cheerleaders. Please do your part!

LATE PICK-UP CONSEQUENCES
There should be no late pickups as a responsible adult is required to be at the field with the participant at all times. IYF&C is not a baby-sitting service. It is important that parents or guardians attend practices.

If for some reason, you cannot attend practice, please promptly pick up your child at the conclusion of practice. Our coaches and team moms volunteer an enormous amount of their time to teaching and training our football players. None of them are compensated for the contributions they make to the program. Please respect their personal time by picking up your player promptly at the end of practice. Unfortunately, some parents have not always done so. Accordingly, we have established the following policy to encourage parents to pick up their players on time:

• If pick up is more than 10 minutes late, we will attempt to reach the person listed as the emergency contact on your application to pick up the child.
  
  
• If pick up is more than 15 minutes late and we have not received a phone call from you or reached your emergency contact, we will assume that something has happened and you are not able to pick up your player. At this time the Athletic Director and the President will be called and they will contact the local police department to assist in locating you.
  
  
• If IYF&C has found it necessary or appropriate to contact the Police Department to assist in locating a responsible adult, a $25 fine will be imposed. The fine must be paid before the child will be allowed to participate in any IYF&C activity.
  
  
• Three instances of picking up your player late will be grounds to drop your player from the program without any refund.