2009 REGISTRATION
Q: I want to sign my children up for football and need to know when registration ends
A: Regular registration will be open until June 30th. After June 30th all registrations will be considered late and have an additional $20 fee per registration. You may register online at the Ravens web site. Simply follow the link from the home page. Please note that individual age groups may close to registration as we reach capacity in that particular age group.
PRACTICE, GAMES, WEATHER, EQUIPMENT
Q: When does the first practice begin?
A: Monday, August 10, 2009
Q: What are the practice schedules? How often are practices held?
A: The first three weeks of practice are Monday through Friday. Practices begin at 6:00 P.M. and end at 8:00 P.M. The practice schedule will be fairly intense for the first few weeks with most teams practicing each week night up to the start of school. Once school starts most teams will go to a three nights a week practice schedule with games played on Saturdays.
Q: What time do the games start? What day are they played?
Games are played on Saturday, with Sunday used if a Saturday game gets rained out. The schedule runs Flag JV at 8AM, Juniors (12-14) at 9AM, Midgets (10-12) after the Juniors game, Peewees (8-10) after the Midgets, and then Flag Varsity (6-7) after the Midgets. Since the later games can’t start until the game before it finishes the start times of the later games can vary quite a bit.
Q: If it rains, will there be practice and/or games?
A: We will practice and/or play games as long as the fields are open and playable. Storms that may develop during the course of a game or practice will be assessed as they happen. The Metro Youth Football League occasionally cancels games due to weather. On game days they will announce this by 07:30 AM.
Q: What should be worn to practice?
A: Your coaches will advise you of practice attire during the first week of practice. For the first practice, your child should wear shorts, shirt, socks, and running shoes or cleats.
Q: What football equipment do the Ravens provide? What do we need to provide?
A: We provide game jersey, game pants, practice jersey, practice pants, pads for pants and a helmet. You will need to provide shoulder pads and cleats along with a girdle to hold the waist pads. Cleats must be rubber – no metal is permitted. We will have a representative from one of the local sporting goods stores available at equipment handout to sell shoulder pads and other protective equipment. You can also buy these on elsewhere if you prefer.
GAME SCHEDULES
Q: Where are the game schedules posted?
A: The game schedules and directions to host athletic fields are posed on the Ravens web site under the “Game Day” section on the site.
Q: Do the JV teams play the same schedules as the Varsity teams?
A: Metro will determine the JV schedules approximately the last week of August. These schedules are dependent on the number of other Associations that will field JV teams. In most cases, the JV teams will play at the same location as the varsity teams, but there is no guarantee that this will happen.
Q: Do the Gridiron teams play the same schedules as the Metro teams?
A: Typically not. Again, all game schedules will be available on the Ravens web site under the “Game Day” section on the site.
COACHING
Q: I am interested in coaching. Can I be a head coach or assistant coach?
A: We have selected head coaches for eight teams. There is a possibility that we will field a ninth team which would be a peewee gridiron team for which we would need a head coach. This would be a developmental team of 8 & 9 year old players. If you are interested in assistant coaching please select that option for your volunteer category when you register your child. All names for parents who volunteer to coach will be given to the head coaches for them to select their assistants. If you would like to contact any of the head coaches in advance please contact our Vice President for a list of contact information.
FLAG FOOTBALL
Q: My five year old almost 6 year old son is interested in flag football. I am wondering what the schedule is like. Are the games always on the weekend? Is there a set time they play? What is the practice schedule like?
A: As a six year old your son will most likely play on our flag JV team. The flag JV team is made up of 5 and 6 year olds. For the first couple of weeks the teams may practice every week night. However, once school starts the JV
team practices only twice a week and will play their games on Saturday mornings. Rained out Saturday games may be played on Sundays or even during the week. The Flag JV team starts their games at 8AM and must be over by 9AM for the varsity schedule to start at 9AM. The Flag JV games are instructional in nature and therefore the score is not put on the scoreboard and the games are held on a constant running clock. There is also no official score of the games recorded and no winner and loser. The emphasis is on teaching and an introduction to the game.
Once your son turns 7 he would then move up to the varsity team. There are a few six year olds who the varsity coach with choose to keep up on the varsity team but since 7 year olds cannot play on the JV team, how many 6
year olds move up to varsity is dependent on how many 7 year olds that sign up. The flag varsity team will practice three times a week and also plays their games on Saturdays but they do not have a set start time.
