Frequently asked questions

  • 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.

  • BVYFC does not hold registrations itself. Each Organization, as a member of BVYFC, holds its own independent registration in their own area. Be sure to visit individual association website for details.

    • Central Falls Panthers

    • CLCF Chiefs

    • Darlington Braves

    • East Providence Jr. Townies

    • New Bedford Whalers

    • Fairlawn Cardinals

    • Fall River Falcons

    • Woonsocket Redskins

    • Dorchester Eagles

    • Northwest Competitive Cheer

    • Warwick Patriots

  • Associations may typically begin practice the July 1st 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.

  • All participants must meet academic standards and be medically cleared by a pediatrician / nurse practitioner.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Regular season games are played on Sundays beginning the last weekend in August.  The youngest age groups (flag), play first and games continue throughout the day.

  • Yes, American Youth Football has mandatory/minimum play rules in place. This varies depending upon the number of participants on each team.

  • Football players are assigned to teams based solely on age.

  • Several of our member associations are “start-up” programs that were 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.

  • 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.

  • We are committed to selecting the best of the best. Our team will be composed of athletes who meet the highest standards of skill, dedication, and performance. We will prioritize filling the roster with players at the designated age level, while also considering top talent from the age group one year younger.

  • We use a comprehensive selection process to determine who makes the team. This includes an in-person tryout, where athletes showcase their skills, athleticism, and coachability. Additionally, we scout regular season games to evaluate players in live competition, assessing their performance, game IQ, and consistency. Lastly, we consider coach nominations, as coaches provide valuable insight into a player's work ethic, leadership, and overall impact on their team. By combining these three methods, we ensure a fair and thorough evaluation to select the most deserving athletes.

  • 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.

  • 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 coaching staff is selected on an annual basis and usually has five – six coaches.

  • The coaching staff will be named no later than June of each year.

  • These dates change yearly, but 2025 is 12/7-12/13

  • The football games are played at Paradise Cove sports Complex in Naples, Florida. The cheerleading competition is at Austin Tinsdale in Orlando, Florida.

  • The coaches and players must stay 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.

  • 3-4 depending on room size.

  • These dates will be determined yearly depending on AYF Championship schedule and travel accommodations.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • We are projecting the cost per player and coach to be $1,300.00-$1,400.00. 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 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.

  • The cost covers transportation, hotel (double occupancy), meals, the player’s game shirt and socks, and any fun activities that the team participates in.

  • Absolutely.

    Multiple fundraisers will be held throughout the year. Fundraising and planning for the All Star team is a year round activity. The current goal is to raise $1,300 per payer.

    Information about fundraising will be posted on our website.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.