Right to Play

All kids, both boys and girls, regardless of race, religion or national origin, who sign-up and attend practices are entitled to play a minimum of 12 full plays in all regular season and playoff games.

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Equipment

Included in the sign-up fee, the YFL loans each player:

·       1 helmet w/ face guard

·       1 chin strap

·       1 mouthpiece

·       1 set of shoulder pads

·       2 hip pads

·       2 thigh pads

·       2 knee pads

·       1 tail pad

The policy of the YFL is to use the best equipment we can find. It costs well over $300.00 to outfit the smallest players and even more for the big guys. Football equipment is by far our greatest expense. The equipment issued to each player must be returned and checked in at the end of the season or as soon as a player quits. All equipment must be returned directly to the YFL Equipment Manager. Do not return equipment to coaches. Failure to properly return and check in equipment will result in the YFL seeking payment for the replacement cost of missing equipment.

Damaged or poorly fitting gear must be reported to coaches immediately. If the player is still not satisfied with the repair or fit, he/she may bring the gear to the YFL Equipment Manager for evaluation.

In addition to the equipment issued by the YFL, players will need:

·       game pants

·       practice pants

·       cleats and socks

·       supplementary protective pads of their choice

Coaches should be consulted before purchasing extra pads.

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Safety

Player safety is our #1 priority. Everything else is secondary. In football, players can expect bumps and bruises; however, studies have shown that supervised tackle football, played at this level with age and weight divisions, is significantly safer than soccer. In addition to our equipment, the YFL protects players in several other ways.

·        Age and weight divisions have been created to ensure that players on the field together are approximately equal in age and weight. Within a division, the older the player, the less is the allowed  maximum weight.

·        Our coaches undergo mandatory screening and background checks. They are chosen for their abilities as teachers and role models as well as their knowledge of football. All coaches must attend  educational clinics each year. The clinics cover sports philosophy and psychology, safety, injury prevention and treatment, organization and rules in addition to football topics.

·        All players must undergo 10 hours of conditioning before any contact. This is a minimum time. Football is a demanding sport! Encourage players to begin conditioning as soon as possible.

·        All game officials are CIF officials, the same as the high school games. The officials are backed by the CIF Rule Book and the TVYFC Bylaws.

If you have a safety concern, we request that you contact the President immediately.  If the concern is at a game, you may speak directly to a Field Commissioner.

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Medical Screening

The Santa Barbara Youth Football League requires that a medical doctor and a parent or guardian both agree that each player is fit to play tackle football.  The medical doctor may be a family physician or a health care provider.  Doctors in the community have volunteered to perform these medical screenings for players.  The YFL provides a medical screening form to be filled out by parents to assist doctors with the screening.  A health screening is not a full physical examination and is not meant to replace a physical exam.  Medical conditions may exist which would only be discovered by a full physical exam.  If parents have concerns about a player's health, they should bring these concerns to the attention of their physician or health care provider.

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In Case of an Injury

An injured player who cannot move under his/her own power should not be moved by anyone except trained medical personnel. If an injured player needs time to recover before walking off the field, he/she will be given the time. A player who leaves a practice or a game with a serious injury may not return to practice or play without a written release from a medical doctor.

If a player or any other YFL personnel is injured at or on the way to a YFL function, practice or game, they need to fill out an insurance information form as soon as possible. Coaches have these forms and will assist in filling them out. Coaches are responsible for turning in completed forms to the President.

The YFL’s insurance is supplementary insurance. If the player is covered by any other insurance, the primary insurance will operate first. There is a $100 deductible on all claims. The player or family must pay that deductible amount.

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Picture, Proof of Identification and Age, League Certification

The Santa Barbara Youth Football League belongs to the Tri-Valley Youth Football Conference.  The TVYFC requires that each player provide at sign-up a photograph in which the players head is at least 1" high.  That photo is to be kept with the player’s contract.

The TVYFC also requires that each new player present an original legal document at sign-up as proof of identification and age.  That document may be a passport, military identification card or birth certificate.  The birth certificate must be a Certificate of Live Birth or a certified copy from the Recorder's Office.  A decorative certificate from a hospital is not acceptable.  Each chapter is required to copy the original identification document and include that copy with the player contract for inspection by the Conference Certifying Official at official certification before the start of each season and before the start of play-offs.  Players who have a birth certificate on file with YFL do not need to present one at the start of the current season.

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Proof of Address

To avoid an increasing problem, the Santa Barbara YFL requires that each parent or guardian provide proof of each player’s address in the form of a two utility bills for each player registered.

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Certification is the process by which an athlete's division is identified according to exponent totals.  The exponents shall be date of birth, weight, height and playing experience.

        Date of Birth: A birth certificate from the county of birth will determine the athlete's date of birth.  If this birth certificate is not applicable, any federal, military or state certificate will be acceptable.

        Weight: Weight will be determined by using a calibrated scale measured in pounds.

        Height: Height will be determined by using a stationary Y axis measured in inches.

        Experience: All experience shall be based on the honor system.  In cases of discrepancies, past chapter enrollments shall be referenced.

Exponents:  The numerical value assigned to an exponent range.  The exponents ranges will be based on the Table 1 below.  A player's exponent number will be the Date of Birth factor PLUS the Weight factor PLUS the Height factor PLUS the Experience factor.  The TOTAL of which will generate the placement of each player.

    Certification Conditions:   

    Bantam:  An athlete cannot become 11 years old during the playing season.  The athlete must weigh at least 45 pounds.

    Junior I:  An athlete cannot be 8 or 13 years old during the playing season.  An 8 year old athlete with an exponent factor in the Junior I Division shall become a restricted Bantam Division athlete.

    Junior II:  An athlete cannot be 9 or 14 years old during the playing season.  A 9 year old athlete with an exponent factor in the Junior II Division shall become a restricted Junior I Division athlete.

    Senior:  An athlete cannot be 10 or 15 years old during the playing season.  A 10 year old a