No. Blackstone Valley’s tax exempt status in Florida allows us to use the exemption only for rooms booked for use by the players and coaches. Our reservations will be set up as tax exempt (saving the team and parents money) and can only be used for the team and coaches.
Absolutely. You can contact the hotel directly to make reservations.
We will provide contact information for the hotel as soon as the travel team has been selected.
Our plan is to have the team participate in one or two fun activities during Championship week. Exactly what those activities will be will be jointly decided between the coaching staff and the players as the team gets closer to the travel date and will be appropriate for the budget.
No. Part of the experience of playing on an All Star team includes the camaraderie of staying with the team. The coaches cannot be responsible for trying to locate a player for team meetings and team activities when that player is staying with a parent.
There will be a limited number of seats available for sale on the team bus. These will be sold on a first come first served basis for $300.00 per seat. The $300.00 covers the cost of the bus only. Any expenses for hotel rooms and food are not covered by the $300.00.
We understand that some players will be given assignments that must be completed while they are at the AYF National Championships. The coaching staff will make best efforts to ensure that all players get the study time they need to complete assignments. However, our coaches cannot force your child to do their homework. We can simply make time available for them to do so.
Blackstone Valley’s EIN, Rhode Island tax exempt status, Massachusetts tax exempt status, and federal 501(c)(3) documentation can be provided on an as needed basis to companies that require those documents
Absolutely.
Multiple fundraisers will be held throughout the year. Fundraising and planning for the 8th Grade All Star team is a year round activity.
We have set a minimum fundraising goal of $7,000.00 which is included in the budget. Therefore, the estimated cost per player and coach already assumes that a minimum of $7,000.00 will be raised through fundraising efforts.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that for every $3,600.00 raised (after the $7,000.00 already included in the overall budget), the cost per player and coach is reduced by $100.00.
Information on fundraisers will be posted on our web site at http://www.BlackstoneValleyFootball.com.
Our By-Laws and Operating Rules allow for the Conference to participate in the All Star National Championships as a self-funded team only. The rationale at the time this provision was incorporated into the rules was that the 8th Grade All Star team benefits only a very small percentage of the total number of Blackstone Valley participants (less than 1%) and also a small percentage of the eligible 8th grade participants (less than 8%). As such, the team needs to be self-funded.
The deposit of $500.00 is due on the first day of practice after the travel team selection is made (second Monday in November). Payment can be made in cash, money order, or credit card.
The second payment of $350.00 will be due on the third Monday in November and any remaining balance is due by November 30. The remaining balance will be determined by the number of donations received at that point plus the amount of fundraising we’ve been able to do. Cash, money orders, or credit cards will be accepted for the second and final payments.
Please check with your Association to determine what type of fundraising they will assist with.
Our goal is to reduce the cost as much as possible, however, that requires everyone’s help in fundraising.
One would think that airline flights for the team would be cheaper, but we also have to consider that every player and coach will mostly like have more than 1 bag (1 bag for clothing, 1 bag for equipment). Airlines typically charge a fee for a second or third bag. Some airlines now charge for the first bag. There is also team equipment (footballs, etc.) that need to be sent.
In addition, bulk airline seats need to be purchased multiple months in advance and paid for in full at the time of purchase. Since we do not pick the travel team until the Sunday following the first Monday in November; the exact number of seats needed is not known until the travel team is selected; and the team is self-funded, we do not have the capability of purchasing bulk airline seats in advance. It is virtually impossible to get enough seats on the same flight for the entire team and coaching staff within a month of the AYF National Championships. Airline ticket purchases that close to travel are usually priced higher.
bThe team will need transportation in the Kissimmee area. Rental of a bus for the duration of the stay in Kissimmee can run as high as $5,000.00.
The bus cost will be partially offset by the sale of the extra seats on the bus. More on that later.
The cost covers the use of the bus, hotel (double occupancy), meals, the player’s game shirt and socks, and any fun activities that the team participates in.
The overall cost per player and coach is determined by taking the entire estimated budget for the trip and dividing it equally by the total number of players and coaches. Fundraisers and donations offset the cost.
We are projecting the cost per player and coach to be $1,200.00. We will be organizing several fundraisers throughout the year to help reduce costs. We are also soliciting local businesses and national chains for donations to help further.
The overall cost of sending a team to the National Championships is estimated to be between $35,000.00 and $40,000.00. Major expenses include bus rental ($14,500.00); hotel rooms ($10,000.00); and meals.
The All Star bracket at the AYF National Championships is a double elimination format tournament. As such, our team is guaranteed a minimum of 2 games. Should the team lose their first 2 games, we will make best efforts to schedule a third game as an exhibition. Exhibition games are only scheduled on a field availability, official availability basis.
The team could play as many as 4 games during the tournament.
Since the players are taking a bus, they will be leaving by 7:00 A.M. on Friday, December 2 for arrival in Kissimmee on Saturday morning, December 3.
The team will leave to come home late on Friday night, December 9 arriving in the Providence area on Saturday night, December 10 at approximately 9:00 P.M.
These times will be refined as we get closer to the travel date.
Two (2) players will be staying in each room. In rare cases we may have three (3) players in a room, however, this will be on an exception basis. Coaches will have individual rooms.
The coaches and players must stayed at a hotel approved by American Youth Football. Once hotel arrangements are finalized, we will provide additional information, including how parents can book rooms at the same hotel.
The games are played at Austin Tindall Regional Park which is located at 4100 Boggy Creek Road in Kissimmee, Florida
Check in for the 8th Grade All Star teams for the 2016 AYF National Championships is Saturday, December 3, 2015. The All Star Tournament ends on Friday, December 9, 2015.
The coaching staff will be named no later than June of each year.
The coaching staff is selected on an annual basis and usually has five (5) – six (6) coaches.
Most players selected for the team start on both offense and defense for their regular season teams. Please keep in mind that we will have 24 – 30 players who are all starters on their respective teams. They all can’t be starters on an All Star team.
One other thing to note is that our coaches will identify positions for each player that make the best use of their athletic skills and afford each player the chance to maximize their playing time. Just because a player was a running back during the regular season doesn’t mean that child will be a running back on the All Star team. Again, we will identify the best fit for each player on our team. We understand that may be difficult to accept so we need to know up front if your child will not participate unless they play a certain position. In that case, we will judge the child against the other players we feel are best suited for that position and make a decision on how they perform against their peers. The more flexible you and your child are, the better their chances are of making the travel team.
The coaching staff is committed to getting all the players as much playing time as possible, but we can’t make any guarantees.
The actual number of players on the travel team will be determined as final player selections are made for the travel team. It is expected that no less than 24 players and no more than 30 players will be selected for the travel team.
The 8th Grade All Star team coaching staff will conduct evaluation clinics on three (3) days after the first Monday in November. The location will be provided as we get closer to the dates of the evaluation clinics. Attendance at all three (3) evaluation clinics is mandatory unless excused by a member of the 8th Grade All Star team coaching staff. Players are scored based on their performance at the evaluation clinics.
The 8th Grade All Star team coaches with meet with the Blackstone Valley President and Blackstone Valley Football Commissioner to make the travel team selections no later than the Sunday night following the first Monday in November.
Only football players who are currently in the 8th grade and have played all season with a team that is part of the Blackstone Valley Youth Football and Cheerleading Conference of American Youth Football are eligible to participate. Football players may have played on a 12 and Under, 13 and Under or a 14 and Under team.
Pop Warner was founded in 1929 and has grown to become a name synonymous with youth football. People will often mean “youth football” or “pee wee football” but use the brand-name of “Pop Warner” instead.
Blackstone Valley Youth Football Conference is not affiliated with Pop Warner. We are an independent, federally-recognized non-profit corporation that is currently affiliated with American Youth Football. We feel that AYF’s rules are safer and more inclusive than many other national governing bodies, to include Pop Warner.
If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of being a member of Blackstone Valley Youth Football Conference, contact us.
Several of our member associations are “start-up” programs that founded in order to become members and play in AYF’s “All American” division. We can put you in touch with administrators of member associations who can point you in the right direction. Simply contact us.
Football players are assigned to teams based solely on age.
Yes, American Youth Football has mandatory/minimum play rules in place. This varies depending upon the number of participants on each team.
Regular season games are played on Sundays beginning right around labor day. The youngest age groups (flag), play first and games continue throughout the day.
American Youth Football has a long history of providing a safe environment for all of our members, while providing opportunities to play football to children who may be turned-away from other organizations because of their weight. Multiple scientific studies on youth football have established a correlation between age and injury. In simple terms, older children are at a higher risk for injury than younger kids. American Youth Football places children on teams based on age, not weight, meaning your 10 year old will be playing against other children who are 10 years old, regardless of his weight.
To learn more, click here to read an article written by Sadler Insurance, who is in the business of insuring youth sports programs.
No. Children who meet the academic standards and are medically fit to participate will be rostered to a football team or a cheerleading squad. Under American Youth Football “minimum play rules” each child will have an opportunity to participate in every game.
All participants must meet academic standards and be medically cleared by a pediatrician / nurse practitioner.
Associations may typically begin practice the last week of July and the regular season concludes in late October. Playoffs and cheer competitions continue into November. Qualifying teams and cheerleading squads may compete in National Competition in Florida in December.
BVYFC does not hold registrations itself. Each Organization, as a member of BVYFC, holds its own independent registration in their own area. If you want to know when registration is, you can go to the “Association Links” tab on our home page to find the organization that best suits your needs.
Blackstone Valley Youth Football Conference is cooperative, consisting of 20 of the top youth football & cheerleading associations in the Blackstone Corridor and South Eastern Massachusetts. Blackstone is organized and operates under American Youth Football, which places children on teams based strictly on age, not weight. Blackstone Valley serves approximately 5,200 children belonging to twenty (20) organizations in eighteen (18) communities and is the largest youth football and cheerleading organization in this area.
