Information for New Families

Whether you're new to tackle football, or just to GPYFA, it can seem like an overwhelming amount of information to take in. Here's some details to help you.

Time Commitment

Player time commitment:

Players start in mid-late July with a 3-day conditioning camp to help them prepare to start practice.
Practices start in late July or early August, running 4 days per week until school starts. Once school starts practice runs 3 days per week.
Camp and practices are usually weekday evenings and typically 1.5-2 hours in length starting around 6pm. Exact days and times may vary based on field availability, but typically run Mon-Thu during the summer and Tue-Thu during the school year.
Teams may have an occasional team-building (non-practice) event, optional but encouraged.
Games on Saturdays usually start at 9am and progress throughout the day. Warm-ups typically start 45-75 minutes before games.

Timeframes mentioned are typical, for specific dates check the Football page.

Equipment

GPYFA provides: helmet, shoulder pads, practice jersey, game jersey, Guardian Cap, practice and game pants (padded except Seniors; juniors TBD), and socks. Players keep their personalized jerseys and socks at the end of the season, all other equipment is returned.

Players must provide:

Cleats (molded rubber or plastic detachable)
Mouth Guard, attached to face mask
Girdle (Seniors; Juniors TBD)
Water Bottle
Protective Cup (recommended)
Gloves (optional)
Any long underwear/warm layers for under uniform (optional, necessary for some players in later fall)

IMPORTANT: Once your player has been issued equipment, have them wear their helmet ~30 minutes per day to get used to the feel and weight of the helmet. This will help move the break-in period earlier for more successful practices.

Safety

Ensuring player safety is our top goal. All coaches are USA Heads Up Certified.

CDC Heads Up Concussion information for Youth Sports

Volunteering

Participation through volunteering for our families is key to ensuring a great season. All families are asked to volunteer or pay the opt-out fee during registration. Please see the volunteering page for more details.

Staying Up-To-Date

You will want to download and install the TeamSnap application to your mobile device for the latest up-to-date information. This will be used for communicating schedules and locations. Look for an email invitation to join the team as Camp approaches.