How does Pop Warner football differ from other sports offered through CAA (Creeks Athletic Association) such as baseball, basketball, soccer, etc…
Sports other than Pop Warner football offered under CAA are recreational sports. All of the games are played at home against other teams within the same association. SJSA is a chartered Pop Warner association within the Greater Jacksonville Pop Warner Football Conference. The conference is comprised of around 20 Pop Warner associations. Most of those associations are in Duval County. The conference is responsible for scheduling our games and governing compliance to Pop Warner local and national rules. The vast majority of an SJSA team’s games are played against other associations in the conference. Some of those games will be at home and some will be at the home field of the opponent.

Tackle football is the ultimate team sport and is excellent for teaching young men the elements and values of working within a real team. Due to the nature of the sport, however, a significant amount of practice is required in comparison with other sports. See the question ‘How many times a week do teams practice and for how long?’ for additional info on practices.

When does Registration begin and end?
Online registration will begin on March 14^th and run through April 11^th.

What date does practice begin and when does the season typically end?
Practice will begin on Saturday, August 1^st. Regular season games begin the first weekend in September and are on Saturdays. Most teams play 8 regular season games which pushes the end of the regular season to the end of October. Tiny Mite teams are not allowed to participate in any post season play so their season ends at that time. Mitey Mite teams do not have playoffs, but are allowed to participate in one post season bowl game. Post season play for Mitey Mites is at the discretion of the coach and Parent. If a parent does not wish to continue with post season play, there is no obligation to continue. That can extend the Mitey Mite season into mid-November. Junior Pee Wee and up are eligible for playoffs and the extent of their season depends on whether they make the playoffs and how many games they win in the playoffs. Teams that do not make the playoffs are allowed to participate in up to 2 post season bowl games which can again extend the season into mid-November.

How many times a week do teams practice and for how long?
The answer to this depends on the head coach. By Pop Warner rules, teams are allowed to practice up to 10 hours per week before Labor Day or the first regular season game. After Labor day practices are limited to 6 hours per week.

In the month of August (before the regular season begins) a Tiny Mite team will typically practice 3 times a week for up to 2 hours. Most other teams will practice around 4 times a week for up to 2 hours.

After the regular season begins, a typical Tiny Mite team will practice twice a week with games on Saturday. Most other teams will practice 3 times a week with games on Saturdays.

Which division will my son/daughter participate in?
Please reference the ‘2010 Age Weight Matrix’ document.

2010 age weight matrix

Where are practices held?
Practices are held at Plantation Park fields. For the past several years the Tiny Mite teams have practiced at Bartram Trail High School. This year, the president of SJSA along with the football director of CAA are trying to co-locate all football teams at or near Plantation Park. There are several fields located within 1-2 mile radius of the Plantation Park off Race Track road being considered to accommodate any overflow.

Where are games held?
Home games are held at Plantation Park, either on the Turf or Grass field. Away games could be at any of the home locations of the other associations in the Greater Jax Conference. You can visit the Greater Jax website at http://www.popwarnerjacksonville.com and click on the ‘Maps to Sites’ link to see where some of those locations are.

What is the difference between Division 1 and Division 2 Pop Warner football?
Every two years the Greater Jax conference evaluates the overall win/loss records of all of its associations. Associations that fall below .500 have a choice of whether or not they wish to field Division 1 teams. Associations that are above .500 generally field Division 1 teams but are not mandated.

Division 1 football is basically stiffer competition. Associations that field Division 1 teams will typically place the majority of their more talented athletes on their Division 1 teams. The conference will attempt to have Division 1 teams playing other Division 1 teams.

Division 2 football is still very competitive. Again, the conference will attempt to schedule Division 2 teams to play other Division 2 teams. It is not always possible for the league to maintain this segregation in the schedule. Division 2 teams do end up playing Division 1 teams. It is also common for Division 2 teams to beat Division 1 teams.

It's important to understand that Pop Warner national, does not classify a player or set different standards for those players playing Division 1 or Division 2 football. Only the associations are classified in that manner. So any child regardless of talent can participate on a Division 1 team one year and a Division 2 team the next or vise versa.

How safe is Pop Warner tackle football?

Pop Warner National researches safety in their program every year. The age/weight divisions are specifically put together based on this research and are altered occasionally in accordance.

Pop Warner football among 5-15 year olds actually has 12% fewer injuries per capita than organized soccer at the same age group. You can read the articles at the link below for further information on football safety.

http://www.popwarner.com/football/footballsafety.asp·