WARRIORS FOOTBALL

If you wish to speak with someone about Warriors Football, please contact:

The Warriors have provided the youth of our community the opportunity to play tackle football for 40 years.  During the 2006 season, we had over 625 players, ranging in age from 6 to 14, participating on 29 teams.  We expect the 2007 season to be even bigger.  The Warriors are one of nine members of the Arapahoe Youth League (AYL) and serve the youth in Northern Douglas County (for a description of the Warriors territory please select the “Our Territory” button).  The AYL scheduled and provided referees for our 2006 season with over 225 teams participating.  The Warriors teams play an 8 game regular season schedule followed by play-offs.  For 2007 practices begin the week of July 30th.  Our regular season Saturday games start September 1st.  This year we have expanded our season to allow another full week of time to make-up any games lost to weather and reduce the number of Sunday make-up games we faced in 2006.  Our play-offs and championship games are usually completed by the weekend before Thanksgiving.  The League controls our practice start day and the allowed number of practices per week, pre-season as well as during the season, so that all teams have equal practice opportunities.    

Games in the AYL are managed by the number of plays run per quarter rather than a play clock.  The number of plays that constitute a game quarter increase as the age of the players increase.  The games are played on a field 40 yards wide by 60 yards long for ages 6 through 10 and on a field 53 1/3 yard wide (High School regulation width) by 80 yards long for ages 11 and 12 and on a standard High School Field (100 yard long by 53 1/3 yards wide) for our 13/14 age group.  The AYL does not allow Field Goals or Extra Point kicks and the point after touchdown is a play run from a different yardage position for a one point or a two point PAT.  The AYL generally follows all of the High School rules as described in the National Federation of State High School Associations rulebook.   

In Warriors football, players are grouped on football teams based on age rather than grade and then by school attended if possible to facilitate the creation of car-pools.  The AYL uses the player’s age prior to August 1st to determine the age classification of our players.  There are exceptions to the age classification which allow players to play at an older age if the parents feel their player is capable or at one year younger if the players is small in stature and below a pre-defined weight limit.  If you wish to discuss these age exceptions, please contact any of the individuals identified above.  The teams at each age group are further divided into three Divisions based on the team’s experience and past record.  The Divisions are the NFC, AFC, and CFC.  All newly formed teams are generally entered into the CFC, which allows for an equal level of competition and affords any team the opportunity to advance into the play-offs.  The more experienced teams comprised of players with a few years of playing experience generally play in the AFC while the most experienced and capable teams comprise the NFC.  All of the Divisions have play-offs and Championship games and based on past performance and record, teams can be moved up to the next Division the following season.   

The Football league of the AYL is a “Weight Restricted” league with three weight classifications at each age.  These classifications are “Backfield”, “Single Patch”, and “Double Patch”.  The AYL conducts a formal Weigh-In before the regular season begins to determine the official weight of each player participating in the league.  Players whose weight is determined to be at or below the limit for “Backfield” may participate at any position on the team at any time of the game.  Players weighing in at “Single Patch” level are restricted to start every play of the game from the offensive or defensive line of scrimmage and can play at any time of the game.  Players weighing in at “Double Patch” level are restricted to a position as a down lineman on offense or defense and cannot participate in the game during a kickoff.  These restrictions were developed to ensure the maximum safety of all participants and are designed to minimize the occurrence of high-speed collisions between players of disparate weights.  The AYL uses many inputs to determine the changes in weight limits, including the growth charts prepared by the National Center for Health Statistics.  Our weight limits are reviewed annually and will be changed when indicators have increased from the prior year.  Should you wish to discuss the specific weight limits for your players please contact one of the individuals identified above.   

The Warriors and the AYL provide a competitive football league and as a result, we do not subscribe to the “everyone plays equally” philosophy of recreational sports.  However, the Warriors and the AYL understand that players not only develop and improve their individual skill levels through practice but with the opportunity to play in actual games.  Thus to provide players the maximum opportunity to improve their skill level, the AYL football league was established as a “Minimum Play” league.  This means that all players eligible to play in the game on a specific Saturday must play a predetermined number of plays in that game, regardless of individual skill level.  This predetermined number of plays is a function of the Division in which the team participates and ranges from 24 plays in the game for CFC teams, 20 plays in the game for AFC teams and 16 plays in the game for NFC teams.  The numbers of plays in an official quarter of a game are 18, 22 or 24 plays, based on age.  This “Minimum Play” is strongly supported by the Warriors and failure to comply with this rule can be cause for termination of a specific Coach.  We often monitor our Coaches’ compliance to the rule, as does the AYL, particularly during all Championship games.  Parents must be aware of the minimum play rule and realize that football, as a competitive sport does not provide equal playing time for all players.  We encourage all of our Coaches to explain their individual philosophy with regard to earning playing time at their first Parents meeting. 

 2008_FOOTBALL_REGIS_FORM_WEB.pdf