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Welcome New Parents

By Wayzata/Plymouth Board, 07/30/19, 6:15PM CDT

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To all parents new to the program, WELCOME!!!

We are thrilled to have your child, or children, playing football with us!  The information below is largely taken from our website and has been organized in a manner to get parents new to our program up to speed on what our program is about, how we operate, and what to expect as the program schedule progresses. Please utilize the contact information provided at the end to address any questions you might have after reading this information.

Our Mission:
We are committed to providing an opportunity for as many children as possible to participate in football under the rules of the league.

Who We Are:

Wayzata Plymouth Youth Football (WPYF) is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to offering young people in grades 4 through 8 an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of football, the value of teamwork and to have fun doing it. The program has been designed, with parents' help, to contribute to the development of the young person's:

  • Sense of Achievement
  • Leadership Skills
  • Positive Self-Image
  • Social Skills
  • Sense of Teamwork, and,
  • Appreciation for What the Body Can Do

 

Wayzata Plymouth Youth Football is a member of the Lake Minnetonka Athletic Association (LMAA), a youth football league with participants from Minnetonka, Orono, Mound-Westonka, St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Armstrong, Maple Grove, and Wayzata/Plymouth. The LMAA, established in 1961, is the governing body for the rules of the league. It is run by a board of directors consisting of representatives of each of the member districts.

The Wayzata Plymouth program is run by an Area Director and five additional board members. Each grade has a Grade Coordinator who is responsible for enrolling and assisting coaches in his or her grade. Everyone involved in the program is a volunteer.

Schedule / Time Commitment:

Once school starts, our program operates Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Practices typically run from 6:00 to 8:00 and are conducted on the week nights above (no practice on Saturday). Prior to the start of school, practices can also be scheduled for Wednesday and Friday evenings, and occasionally, Saturday mornings. Games can be scheduled on Mondays Tuesdays, and Thursday evenings, as well as Saturday morning and early afternoon. 

There will be eight games scheduled across the weeks between the day after Labor Day and the Tuesday prior to MEA weekend. The actual game schedule is developed by the LMAA and released late in August.  All participants are advised of the release of the game schedule via email as soon as it becomes available.

Communication:

Once you have registered for our program, communication from our administrators will occur via email. You can count on a number of reminders, advisories, and general notifications prior to the beginning of the game schedule. Once practice begins, communication is largely turned over to your head coach. Your head coach is responsible for communicating practice schedules, expectation for arrival prior to games, and various other team specific information.

The latest available information on our program can always be found on our website www.wayzatafootball.com

Team Formation:

4th Grade and 5th Grade team rosters may contain up to 18 players. Players are assigned to teams by elementary school and by registration time stamp whenever possible. Priorities are first to ensure that players play on teams with others from the same school. If a school is able to fill one team roster, and fill or nearly fill a second roster, the team rosters will be formed by arranging the players by registration time stamp and alternating the placement of the players onto the two team rosters. If there are not enough kids from a school to fill a team roster, the players will be grouped with players from a different school or schools. Departures from the above stated practice may be made to ensure adequate coaching levels are maintained across the teams.

In grades 6th, 7th, and 8th, team are formed through an equidraft system. For details on this system see our website at http://wpyf.wayzatafootball.com/page/show/172357-how-wpyf-teams-are-formed

 Coaching:

All coaches are volunteers. Last season we had over 630 players on 35 teams. 160 wonderfully committed parents and friends dedicated their time to making a great season. Our goal is to have a minimum of 3 coaches per team (one head coach and two assistant coaches). This year, again, we need your help!

No previous coaching experience is required, and the coaching opportunity is open to both moms and dads. The program provides each head coach with a 2 hour instructional video tape and a coaches handbook to assist them in their efforts. We request that each coach understand and accept that the program is for the kids.

While many of the coaches have children in the program and coach on their children's teams, we have several coaches that participate every year without having a child in the program. It is not a requirement of our coaches they have a child in the program to coach!

 LMAA required background checks will be conducted with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for every head and assistant coach. This process requires that you register electronically on the LMAA site. We will contact coaches when the LMAA registration site is available.

Coaching Selection:

Only those coaches who have had a background check, attended the coaches meeting, received a copy of the rules, and received a league issued I.D. will be permitted to coach players in the LMAA.

Coaching assignments are largely based on team formation. Due to the length of time registration is open, and the complications associated with determining how many teams will be formed, the notification of head coaching assignments tends to be done just a couple weeks prior to the first practice.

In the weeks that follow registration the question is often asked “I’ve registered to coach, have been accepted, or am I needed?” As a rule, our program does not turn away volunteer coaches that meet the above stated criteria. We do not advise coaches of their acceptance. We instead address situations where a coaching volunteer fails to meet the established criteria. In short, if you’re not advised otherwise, you’re cleared to coach in our program.

If you change your mind on coaching after registering your player or players, you can be added or removed from the coaching pool by contacting the Director of Registration, Jason Rudolph, at registration@wayzatafootball.com

Equipment:

The program provides helmets, football pants and a game jersey. These are issued to each participant at scheduled equipment handouts in July & August (see the website calendar for dates and times). This equipment must be WPYF issued or approved by the Area Director.

Players are to provide, shoes, shoulder pads, mouth guards, practice jersey and a protective cup (optional).

Shoes: Only molded, one piece cleats, rubber removable cleats or rubber / plastic coated metal spikes are allowed. If using rubber / plastic coated spikes, the shoes must be regularly inspected for wear. Players will not be allowed to participate with shoes with exposed metal.  

Shoulder Pads: Only approved football pads. No hockey shoulder pads.

Jerseys: Game jerseys will be handed out by the head coach during the first practice sessions. Players may keep their game jerseys at the end of the season. Players are required to provide their own practice jersey

League Rules:

The LMAA reviews and releases a set of league rules every year. The updated rules are released and available on our website in the mid-summer timeframe.  To view the league rules, visit our website at http://wpyf.wayzatafootball.com/page/show/75001-league-rules

The importance of attending an official LMAA weigh in? As part of the LMAA league rules, weight limits are established for players allowed to advance the ball from the line of scrimmage. These rules / limits are a safety consideration for all those participating in the league.

Weigh-in's are scheduled and conducted by all the respective area participating organizations. All players wishing to be eligible per section 9 of the LMAA Official League Rules must attend an LMAA weigh-in. A failure to attend a LMAA weigh-in will result in the player be classified as ineligible (a black striper) regardless of the players actual weight.

Practice and Game Locations:

All practice for our 4th through 8th grade program will be conducted at Wayzata Central Middle School. Games will be conducted on Wayzata Plymouth fields and well as the fields of our league member organizations. For field location information see our website at http://wpyf.wayzatafootball.com/page/show/75002-field-locations

Camps and Clinics:

Our program offers a number of camps and clinics throughout the summer months. These programs are focus on fun and football skill development. For additional information see our website at http://wpyf.wayzatafootball.com/page/show/73739-camps-and-clinics

If you’ve registered for the regular season and wish to add a registration for a camp or clinic, simply re-enter the registration site via our website http://wpyf.wayzatafootball.com/page/show/73730-wayzata-plymouth-youth-football and register for the additional program.

4th Grade Season Kickoff:

A season kickoff for the 4th grade program will be conducted in early August at the Wayzata Central Middle School – Please check published calendar on our website. This event will include:

  • A welcome message from our Area Director
  • Introduction of WPYF board members and the 4th grade coordinator
  • The reading of the rosters by the head coach (official announcement of team assignments)
  • Coach, player, and parent team meetings

 

Coach, Parent, and Player Conduct:

The content below is the code of conduct we ask all coaches to adopt in connection with participation in our program. Many of these points apply equally to the expectations for parents, family, and spectators.    

I hereby pledge to live up to my obligations as a Coach in the LMAA football program by pursuing the following standards for coaching ethics:

  • I will place the emotional and physical well-being of my players ahead of a personal desire to win.
  • I will treat each player as an individual, remembering the large range of emotional and physical development for the same age group. 
  •  I will do my best to provide a safe playing situation for my players.  
  • I will lead by example in demonstrating fair play and sportsmanship to all my players.
  • I will provide a sports environment for my team that is free of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol and I will refrain from their use at all youth sports events.
  • I will be knowledgeable and adhere to the rules of the organization in which my team will participate and I will teach these rules to my players.
  • I will use appropriate coaching techniques for each of the skills I teach.
  • I will treat the officials and league staff in an appropriate and respectful manner.
  • I will treat all my players and parents with respect and appropriate behavior.
  • I will realize that sometimes things are not always accurate and correct and will accept decisions made on the field by the current officials representing the on field authority during game time situations.
  • I will remember that I am a youth sports coach and the game is for the children and not the adults.

 

Spirit of the Rules – Coaches, Players, and Parents must remember the rules are

  • defined to create the most beneficial experience for the players. Coaches must
  • remember that the games are to be played for the players and not for the
  • Coaches or Parents creating the Spirit of the Rules.

 

WPYF Contacts for Your Questions and Concerns:

Area Director, Curt Illikainen                                                  areadirector@wayzatafootball.com

Registration and webmaster, Jason Rudolph                        registration@wayzatafootball.com

Coaching and Team Formation, Matt Brown                                 coaches@wayzatafootball.com