Dear Parents:

As the Pop Warner PSL Pirates Board President I want to thank you for your family’s involvement in our program for the upcoming season. As being a part of our program for numerous seasons, I know the amount of time and effort it takes to prepare a league for play and I would like to thank you in advance for making the commitment to this league and look forward to working with you this season.

Please Take Time to Volunteer

For those of you that do not know, we begin preparation for the upcoming season in January and work all the way through to the end of our current season. I would like to encourage all of our families to become more involved in our program. This is an all volunteer based organization and without parent participation it will be impossible to grow and improve our program.  When we ask for your assistance, please help. Parents normally perform gate duty and/or assist with the concession stand. We also need volunteers for various other functions that greatly assist the coaches, the players, and the league overall. Without parent involvement, the league could not exist.

Competitiveness/Playing Time/Positioning

Pop Warner is a very competitive program, not only here locally, but throughout the United States. We coach to improve the skills of all players. Coaches are trained to evaluate the players and determine where they can best be suited to help the team. Not all players will perform at the same level or have the same desire to play and perform, but all players will participate.   Parents have to realize that there are players that are playing tackle football for the first time and are unsure if tackle football is the right game for them.  Ultimately, it is the head coach (along with the coaching staff) that will determine a child’s level of play. Depending on the size of the team, each player is required to play the Mandatory Playing Requirement (MPR). While the Port St. Lucie Pirates Pop Warner Board accepts, and enforces the Pop Warner MPR rules, the Board but will not dictate how many more plays a player will participate in during a game.

Unlike other sports, each player is usually given a position to play. Each position has different demands, skills, and coaching requirements. In order for the child, and likewise the team to improve, players must learn their respective position fully. Unlike other sports, a player cannot simply rotate from position to position and experience every position in football. Each position has different requirements and responsibilities that one can only learn and improve upon with repetitions and experience at that position.

Formation of Teams

Although it may appear that teams are created to be stronger than others; that is simply not the case. Some teams have returning players other players have older siblings that are already in our organization and they are placed on the same team for their age so that families don’t typically have to travel to multiple locations on game day. In the past, previous football boards have simply placed players randomly on a team, as well as creating equally talented teams and we have found that you cannot make everyone happy. The teams are either unfair and too competitive or too fair and un-competitive. To that end we are trying to design a system that over time provides for both fairly created and competitive teams through all age divisions.

Continued Growth

Finally, I would encourage you and all of our coaches to recruit new families into our organization so that we can grow our football family! There is a long history of coaches recruiting players for their teams and that tradition will continue. I am committed to doing what I can to continue to improve what others have done before me and with your help I know we can do it. We are constantly looking for coaches, so if you are interested in coaching, or if you have any questions, please send me an email at [email protected]  and we will respond back to you as soon as possible.

We look forward to serving you in 2020 and Teaching Children the FUNdamentals of Football & Cheerleading; Self-Respect, Self-Discipline, and the Importance of an Education while keeping our program the one of best on the Treasure Coast of Florida!

Best wishes for your family. See you on the fields!

Go Pirates

Jeana DiGiacomo

Pop Warner Football & Cheer President