Dear FYD Family,
The health and safety of our participants, volunteers, and all of our families is of the utmost importance to all of us in the Foundation for Youth Development/Tampa Bay Pop Warner organization. The FYD Leadership, including the presidents of each of our neighborhood associations, held a series of meetings to discuss the upcoming season. During these meetings, we have made every effort to adhere to the recommendations from the CDC, the Pop Warner National Office, and state and local guidelines when making our decisions. As such, we have decided to begin the season cautiously and ask for all our families and volunteers to remain flexible as decisions may be subject to change as we receive additional data.
FYD/Tampa Bay Pop Warner has member associations in 4 different counties, each with their own guidelines and restrictions related to COVID-19. We have worked to find a balance amongst those limitations, and individual associations have been given the authority to not field teams this season if the situation warrants in their area. To date, all of our Associations, with the exception of the Southshore Longhorns, seem confident that they will be able to participate this season. We are still waiting on some of the local municipalities to provide us information on their guidelines and decisions in some areas.
As a league, we feel that it is important for our youth to have a safe place that is outdoors to exercise and socialize while still being able to practice social-distancing. As such, FYD/Tampa Bay Pop Warner is allowing its associations to begin conditioning on August 1st, if they chose to do so, with the understanding that they must comply with all guidelines from the CDC as well as state and local authorities. Football players may wear helmets during conditioning, but teams will not be permitted to practice in full gear (pads) until August 24th. Each association must comply with their community’s restrictions in terms of number of players on the field and the size of groups. We will not hold a Jamboree this season, and our first week of games has been pushed back to September 5th with some associations starting their season on 9/12 or 9/19.
We appreciate all of you so much. Our goal is to protect the physical health of our participants and their families by following all of the recommended guidelines and procedures. As we begin conditioning on August 1st, we also hope to protect the mental and social health of our participants by providing a safe outlet for physical activity and socialization. Please stay tuned to our Facebook page and webpage for the continual updates.
Sincerely,
Dwayne Renaker
FYD President