Faqs

Our Flag program starts in Kindergarten and runs through 8th Grade. You must be in 3rd grade to play tackle.

Children in grade 3 through grade 8, between the ages of seven and fourteen before July 31 of the current year (cannot turn 15 on or before 12/31). Children must be in good health and a Doctor’s Consent Form is required to participate

Team placement is determined primarily based on Grade, with some exceptions based on Age and Weight. A complete outline of the team schematic is available on the Documents Page, by selecting "2012 TYFC Age-Weight Divisions".

MSA participates in The Taconic Youth Football & Cheer league (TYFC) is comprised of 10 organizations (Brewster, Carmel, Hudson Valley, John Jay Cross River, Mahopac, North Yonkers, Somers, Southern Dutchess, Wappingers, & Yorktown) & is affiliated with the American Youth Football national organization.

In order to ensure the players’ safety, a significant amount of practice time is required to play football.  MSA football practice begins the first week in August.  Practices are held Monday through Friday (approx 6:00pm – 8:00pm) throughout the month of August. Practice during August is of paramount importance in how a team develops, both physically and in terms of its personnel being evaluated by the coaching staff.  Therefore, players are expected to be at every August practice. Although not recommended, however, MSA does recognize that this is also a time of year when many families vacation and if this is your first year with MSA, camps may already have been scheduled. Please be sure both you and your child understand, that if a few days or a week of conditioning practice is missed, your child will fall behind the rest of the team and have to make up those practices before participating in full-contact practices with the rest of the team and this could possibly effect their entire season. (Please also refer to the Parent-Player contract in the documents section of the website for more information regarding missed practices.)  Practices continue 8 hours per week during the months of September and October. Missed practices could adversely impact a player’s readiness on game day & ultimately reduce or limit playing time.  Games are held on the weekends. Expect to arrive at games 1-½ hours prior to game time and some games are as far as 1 ½ hours away.

If your child’s team progresses to playoff games, he will be playing into the month of November, with UYF Nationals being held in early December.

Practices are held at Mahopac High School. Home games are played at the Mahopac High School turf field. Away games are played at any of the participating Towns fields.

Registration for the 2010 Football season will be as follows:
Flag (K – 8^th Grade): Opens April 1^st & remains open until September 1^st3^rd & 4^th Grade Tackle: Opens April 1^st & remains open until May 31^st
5^th – 8^th Grade Tackle: Opens April 1^st & closes either April 30th OR when 40 players are registered for a specific grade – whichever comes first. If more then 40 players register for a team the 41^st through 51^st players will be placed on a waiting list. If 52 players register the teams will split. Registration for grades 5-8 may be kept open after April 30th if less then 26 players are registered for any team & will close immediately following the registration of the 26^th player. Your registration is not complete until full payment and all paperwork has been received. Any unpaid on-line registrations will be deleted from the system. Players with outstanding paperwork will not be allowed to participate in August practice.

It is critical that MSA has very complete contact and health information about your child. Please take care when completing the registration form that birth dates, grades and phone numbers are accurate and up-to-date to aid in the correct placement of your child on the team. Do not take this task lightly; your child will not be able to play until complete.

In addition, a properly signed Doctor’s Consent Form is required. You may submit our Doctor’s Consent Form (see the Documents section of the website) or the state “blue form”. Please note: this form must be signed and dated after January 1, of the current year in order to be valid. Forms from previous years will not be accepted and are rejected. If you cannot schedule a physical exam until after July or August due to insurance reasons, your doctor can still sign and date the form this year, and reference the Physical Exam date of the previous year if necessary.

It is also required that your child’s full end-of-year report card be copied and forwarded to us. Every grade on your child’s report card is averaged to determine if he/she is eligible to participate in American Youth Football league. A grade average below a 72 would require a special release from the school principal. Be sure to include report cards from “special classes” if they are separate from the main report card such as music, art, computer lab, etc.

As part of your fee, MSA supplies your football player with the pads, helmet, practice and game uniforms. Our equipment is reconditioned on a regular basis. Please make every effort to be at our scheduled equipment pick up with your son. If you do not pick up equipment at this time, your son may start August without it and have to be pulled from practice for a fitting. You need to supply the more personal and optional items. Please purchase a cup, football cleats and optional, but recommended--rib pads.

The TYFC is made up of mostly seasoned football programs. The level of play is considered to be Travel/Competitive. And the commitment level will reflect that.

The TYFC does have minimum play policies (4 to 8 plays) which vary depending on team size. All players will receive their minimum playing time. There is no guarantee or expectation of more playing time, especially with large teams.

All players start the season off with a “clean slate”. Assessments are held during the first couple of weeks of practice. Based on skill and ability players are selected for positions that best suit their style and the team dynamic. Attendance, ability to listen, comprehend and learn, all will be deciding factors. Playing time will also be dictated by team size as well as the above-mentioned criteria and is not to be questioned. Parents should NEVER discuss your child's playing time or positions with the coach. You should respect his judgment and decisions at all times.

MSA has been averaging approximately 26 players per grade level. The TYFC mandates that teams MUST split if they reach 52 players. If this were to happen, teams would be split as evenly as possible, thus more playing time, but most likely be less competitive.

The Head Coach and his selected assistant coaching staff. All MSA coaches have gone through certification and training classes. All have been approved and selected by the MSA Football Board. Any decisions made by the coaches are said to be in the best interest of the team, individual player, and the program and will be backed by the MSA Board. Any questions, concerns or doubt should be directed towards the MSA Board, not the coaches.

NO! All of MSA (not just football) is run under the pure notion of volunteering for the children and the community. Every Board member, Coach, field crews, game announcers, concession stand workers, equipment organization and hand-outs, and so much more, are purely just volunteers, who may or may not have kids in the program and pay all the same fees as everyone else. Our "hats off" to all our volunteers.