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OVERVIEW
We are the Caveman Youth Football (CYF) District, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the benefits of organized football to the residents of North Utah County who reside within the American Fork High School boundaries. We provide opportunities for children from 1st through 9th grade to participate in full-contact organized football. Our organization is run entirely by volunteers, most of whom have children in the football program. Our District was formed in 2006 and, along with five other District (Lone Peak, Lehi, Pleasant Grove, and Westlake), make up the Utah County Football Conference (UCFC). Our teams are known as the American Fork Cavemen.
FOOTBALL DIVISIONS
CYF sponsors football teams at several different divisions based on the players current school grade level. The three younger divisions, 1st/2nd Grade (combined), 3rd Grade, & 4th Grade, are non-tryout teams. The four older divisions, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, & 8th Grade, are split into subdivisions through tryouts. These subdivisions are termed "A" and "B" and play only teams from their subdivision.
WEIGHT LIMITS
There are weight restrictions in each division. Any player weighing more than the limit (an "X man") will be restricted to interior line positions (center, guard, tackle) on offense only - there are no defensive restrictions. The weight limits for 2010 are:
1st/2nd Grade 75lbs
3rd Grade 85lbs
4th Grade 95lbs
5th Grade 105lbs
6th Grade 120lbs
7th Grade 135lbs
8th Grade 165lbs
The Conference also has an “older but lighter” rule. Because divisions are formed by grade level and not by age, there is the possibility of a player having too much of an advantage because of age. Therefore, "older" players must weigh 10 pounds less than the "X man" weight in order to play without any position restrictions. Following are the dates and ages for each grade:
1st/2nd Grade If 8 before May 1st of 2010 - older but lighter applies
3rd Grade If 9 before May 1st of 2010 – older but lighter applies
4th Grade If 10 before May 1st of 2010 – older but lighter applies
5th Grade If 11 before May 1st of 2010 – older but lighter applies
6th Grade If 12 before May 1st of 2010 – older but lighter applies
7th Grade If 13 before May 1st of 2010 – older but lighter applies
8th Grade If 14 before May 1st of 2010 – older but lighter applies
FOOTBALL EQUIPMENT
Every tackle football player must wear equipment, including: helmet & face mask, mouth guard, shoulder pads, game pads, belt, and knee, thigh, hip, and tail bone pads. CYF provides all this equipment for each player as well as a game jersey. Except for the jersey, all equipment is the property of CYF and must be returned upon request. You will be required to provide a deposit of $200 before you pick up any equipment. This deposit will be returned at the end of the season when all the player’s equipment is returned in good condition.
Players must provide their own footwear. 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.
A player with missing or improper equipment may not play in the game.
Because 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 that is lost or not returned. The replacement costs are as follows:
+ Football helmet - 7th & 8th Grade $140
+ Football helmet - 1st - 6th Grade $100
+ Shoulder pads $60
+ Game pants $30
+ Pant Pads, Belt $3/each
Please do not abuse the equipment. At the end of the season, please return the equipment during the equipment hand-in times. After December 1st, the deposit checks will be cashed to cover the cost of replacement.
FOOTBALL PRACTICE
Practices & tryouts will begin on August 2nd, 2010. 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. After school starts, practices will be limited to 3 per week for two hours each. Scheduling of practices is at the discretion of the head coaches.
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.
10 Play Minimum Rule
All players will play a minimum of 10 plays per game provided the player has attended all team practices during the prior week. If you as a parent believe that your child was not given the required number of plays, please speak with the head coach. If you continue to have concerns, please contact us at
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FOOTBALL GAMES
Teams generally play an eight game schedule followed by single elimination playoffs leading to the UCFC Championship. All regular season games will be played on Saturdays for the 1st through 6th B grades and on weekday nights, usually Tuesday through Thursday, for the 6th A through 8th grades.
The dates, times and locations of games are determined by the UCFC. Final game schedules will be available before the first regular season game.
CYF PLAYER & PLAYER CONTRACTS
All players and parents must agree to abide by the rules and regulations as set forth in the UCFC and CYF Bylaws. They will also be required to sign a participation consent form during the registration process.
FOOTBALL COST
Philosophy
We are a non-profit corporation and budget to operate on essentially a break even basis. 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 player fees payable to the UCFC, (4) individual trophies, (5) field and facilities use, and (6) 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 for 2010 are $185 if registered by June 30th. After June 30th there will be an additional $15 late fee. Please note that before a player will be considered registered in our program, all fees must be paid in full.
Refunds
Refunds will be issued in the following circumstances:
* If the CYYF District is unable to field a team at a particular division, a full refund will be given to everyone signed up for that team.
* If a player drops prior to the registration deadline of July 15th, a full refund less a $10 registration processing fee will be given.
* If a player drops after the registration deadline (July 15th) but before the first practice date (Aug. 3), a refund of $100 will be given.
* If a player drops after the first scheduled practice, no refund will be given.
In all circumstances, all district-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 CYF District 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. UCFC and CYF 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.
CYF rules establish a maximum of 25 players per team. Our ideal team size is between 18 to 22 players. When additional teams are needed, we will attempt to form them. Our ability to do so will depend on securing a coaching staff, among other things.
APPLICATION PROCESS
An application must be completed for every prospective football player. All registrations are done online by clicking on the registration link on the home page of the website.
All information requested during registration must be provided accurately. This information is used to establish each team. 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.
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 UCFC and CYF meetings and training sessions. During the season, they participate in 6 hours of practice per week plus games. 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 the CYF with activities such as fundraising, field preparation, and equipment hand-outs.
This year we will serve approximately 450 players from the time practices begin in early August until the season ends with the Championship games in late October/early November. If you would like to volunteer at any level, please
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