Frequently Asked Questions/Important Information:
● Season begins August 1st at 5:30pm
● Practice will be behind the Dartmouth Middle School, 336 Slocum Road. If ever practice is canceled, it will be communicated on the DFYL Facebook Page and then: team moms will communicate out to the teams. We will decide by 4:45pm at the latest. Cheer parents please remember that your practice may not be canceled as you gain access to the gym later in the season. Football is an outdoor, all-weather sport. We will practice in the heat, rain, wind, etc except for lightning of course. Practice is on unless notified otherwise. Please do not contact coaches or team moms asking if practice is on.
● Practices will begin at 5:30pm and run till 8:00pm. Practice will be Monday through Thursday. This allows us to get in our conditioning hours and hours in pads for football. This allows the cheer squads to get in their 20 hours of required conditioning as well. After the first game, practice will be Tuesday-Thursday 5:30pm-dark.
● Football parents must remain at practice at all times.
● Your child MUST attend at least 50% of practices including the practice before a game in order to be eligible for game time playing & cheering. Cheerleaders MUST attend all practices within the two weeks leading up to a competition in order to participate in the competition. This is for safety reasons. If they cannot, then please note that their position within the routine may have to change for safety concerns.
● Items parents need to purchase- Football: cleats, mouth guards (must be tethered) and water bottles. Cheerleaders: sneakers, under garments and water bottles. Cheer staff will provide the info for sneakers and undergarments the first week of practice.
● Practice pants, practice jerseys, game pants, game jerseys, helmet decals and cheer uniforms will be given out over the first couple of weeks of practice
● All home games are played at the Dartmouth Memorial Stadium. Our home games will be on Sundays. Remember at home games you will be assigned a duty. Those duties will come from your team mom prior to games.
● Game schedules will be provided as soon as we get them. *They are subject to change, and it is out of our control.
● We will have our annual kickoff party towards the end of August depending on date of first game.
● During games in October, players and cheerleaders are authorized to wear pink socks for breast cancer awareness month. Half of all DYFL pink merchandise proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. We also encourage everyone to participate in volunteer opportunities: https://www.cancer.org/involved/volunteer.html
● If player verification day is required by RISMA (Rhode Island Southeastern Massachusetts Association) all football players must attend in order to be eligible to play the first game. (This is mandatory and outside of our control. If RISMA holds a player verification day- your player must be there)
● All children must register on the blue sombrero website in order to be put on the roster to play, this is the only way to secure your spot on the team. Teams will fill up. Player headshots- are a requirement when registering your child. Do not upload a blank piece of paper to move past the process. Upload a face photo of your child. Please.
*Online registration paperwork is mandatory once registration is complete and can be found
at https://popwarner.sportsaffinity.com/
● As determined by the Dartmouth Board any player registered on 10U and 12U may be asked to move up within the league if there are not enough children to field a team. Players will not be moved if it is not deemed safe.
● CHEER Parents: you will be allowed to drop off your child and leave practice once the cheerleaders go into the gym for practice. However, you must be available by cell and within a 20-minute window to pick up your child in the event they get sick or injured.
● ONLY rostered staff are allowed inside during practices, due to safety concerns DO NOT ENTER the gym until we dismiss the cheerleaders.
● Any changes with cheer practice will be communicated with as much advance notice as possible.
● Cheer squads are determined by age groups set forth by Pop Warner and Cheer Staffing. You will be notified asap with your cheerleader’s assigned squad.
● All games/schedules are subject to change as dictated by our conference, RISMA (Rhode Island Southeastern Massachusetts Association)
● Any parent questions/concerns during the season, please contact the team mom/coach who will notify the football commissioner or cheer coordinator depending on the sport and the issue can be elevated from there if necessary.
Dartmouth Pride
Go Indians!!!