ABOUT THE WASHTENAW JUNIOR FOOTBALL PROGRAM:

Program goals

By following our mission statement the overriding goal of WJF is to build young citizens through the sports of cheerleading and football. There are no “cuts” or “try-outs” and all of our cheerleaders and football players will participate in every game. As participants in The Downriver Junior Football League, we do play competitively. Our coaches make every attempt to make sure football players will play at least their minimum number of plays prescribed by the league, but it is our goal to give each player the most playing time possible. Playing time will be granted to those athletes who exhibit outstanding effort, show continued perseverance and have lots of heart.

Participation fees and fundraisers

WJF is a non-profit organization that depends on its livelihood from participation fees and selected fundraising. For 2009, the participation fee is $250 per football player. If a family has more than one sibling participating in football, the fee for each additional player is $200. The cheerleading fee is $75 per child; there is no sibling discount for cheerleading. The fees provide funds for player equipment, uniforms, field rentals, league fees, trophies, etc. There will be targeted fundraising activities such as spirit sales (e.g. clothing) as well as others throughout the season. Each family may be asked to participate in one mandatory fundraiser each season. All participation fees must be paid in full in order for a child to secure a spot on a team, obtain equipment, and to participate. Please make checks payable to Washtenaw Jr Football. WJF offers a limited number of scholarships based on financial hardship. Scholarship applications and required paperwork MUST be submitted to the WJF PO box before April 23rd- NO scholarships will be given at registration. Applications can be found on the forms page of this website.

Returned check policy

If a check made payable to Washtenaw Junior Football is returned for any reason, your child’s registration will be placed on hold and you will be charged a return check fee of $25 for each returned check. Your child may lose his roster spot if this happens. If you have previously had a returned check with our organization, you will be asked to pay with a cashier check, money order or cash only.

Family participation

Parent or Guardian participation is extremely important in order to make our football program a success. WJF is an all-volunteer organization. Parents are required to commit during the season for a minimum of four hours per family either by working during home games. Please be prepared to sign up for you volunteer hours on your registration date. Parents’ failure to keep their volunteer commitment will result in their child not allowed to participate in games. The only way to maintain a quality program for our children is for us all to do our part. Positions include team parents, who are chosen by the coaches, as well as game day roles such as announcers, chain gang, 50/50 raffle, spirit sales and concessions. Cheer parents will also be responsible to volunteer at the annual cheer competition in November. Please consider becoming part of the organization, we have a variety of board positions available to suit many interests. Board members are given a voice in the organization and help to shape what our program is all about.

TEAM ASSIGNMENT AND FORMATION

This 2010 Season WJF will field 2 units:

1. Jr. Wolverines “Maize” Unit
2. Jr. Wolverines “Blue” Unit

Each unit has a Freshmen, Junior Varsity, and Varsity squad (team).   A maximum size of 38 children per football team has been established.. Cheerleading squads will be limited to 25 children per team. Football team assignments will be made according to League rules and at the discretion of WJF. Veterans (those who were on the roster in 2008) will return to their prior year unit. New participants are assigned to their unit based on school attendance area (see boundaries) in the order that their registrations are received. In the case of limited space, participants will be assigned to a waiting list. In order to comply with league rules, WJF will not honor special requests for team assignment, e.g. if you would like to be assigned to a specific coach’s team or with a specific teammate.

2010 Maize and Blue Football Player Age and Weight Limits

BOUNDRIES: