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Good Shepherd and Youth Football Q&A

Are coaches and GS personnel required to have background clearance? How dangerous is youth football? What does it cost to play football for Good Shepherd? Who can play football for Good Shepherd? Why are games played at Our Lady of Lourdes in Enola? I thought my son had to play at the school's program, like CV or East Penn? What other teams are in the CFA League? What is the proper technique for a 3-point stance? What can I do, as a parent, to help my child prepare for football? Are there tips to help a first-time coach?
Question - Are coaches and key GS football volunteers required to have background clearance? Answer - Yes. The CFA League bylaws require that background checks be run on each coach (Article V - Coaching Eligibility, Section 1 - Coaching Requirements, a, 3: "Have a background check (Each CFA Team will be Responsible)"). Because of our association to Good Shepherd church and school, we must also follow the "Harrisburg Diocesan Procedures for obtaining Criminal record checks". Good Shepherd church supports this with their detailed "Instructions for Obtaining Clearances" process. Our football program is required to participate in this mandatory comprehensive process, which includes: Signing a Diocese of Harrisburg Volunteer Information & Consent form. Obtaining Pennsylvania Access of Criminal History (PATCH) clearance. Obtaining Pennsylvania Dept. of Welfare Child Abuse History clearance. Viewing the Diocesan Sexual Abuse Video annually. Obtaining final Good Shepherd and Harrisburg Diocesan approval. Clearance must be obtained or the individual cannot volunteer. This applies to all coaches, weigh-masters, and equipment managers. Insuring the safety those associated with our program is our top priority. CFA Bylaws for 2008 - Article V, Section 1, a, 3. Diocese of Harrisburg - click on "Youth Protection" on left side menu. Question - How dangerous is youth football? Answer - Not as dangerous at you might think. As an April 2002 study by the Sports Medicine Center at the Mayo Clinic shows, among other things, that "the risk of injury in youth football does not appear greater than other recreational or competitive sports." While many studies have been done on football players in the past, most of them focus on the high school age or older. As outlined in the report, "the purpose of the project was to determine the risk of injury in youth football games." The study concluded that "youth football injuries are uncommon. Most injuries are mild." Click here for results of the Mayo Clinic Study. Question - What does it cost to play football for Good Shepherd? Answer - It is $55 per player. Then $45 per additional player per family. This costs cover all equipment except cleats, socks and any under-garments. The equipment is to be used all season, then returned at season's end. There is ONE fundraiser for the program. Question - Who can play football for Good Shepherd? Answer - Anyone, ages 5 to 13 on April 30, living in Camp Hill, Enola, Cumberland Valley and Wormlysburg. Also, anyone can play for Good Shepherd who attends a Catholic Church that does not have a football program (St. Theresa, St. Margaret Mary, Cathedral, Nativity, Holy Family, St. Patrick Carlisle, etc.). Question - Why are games played at Our Lady of Lourdes in Enola? Answer - When Good Shepherd school was rebuilt in 2005-2006, the "old field" was only space available to build the new school. So the football program had to find a new permanent home. When we looked around for alternatives, one logical choice was Our Lady of Lourdes in nearby Enola. The usable field space was larger than old GS field and it is a well-known fact that OLOL' s Father Acri is sports enthusiast. And with that, the team's home field changed. Since moving over to OLOL, the relationship has merged our two parishes (for football purposes) into one entity. Question - I thought Cumberland Valley and East Penn had youth football programs affiliated with the school and that was my only alternative? Answer - Not true. Even though they use the same names, mascots and colors as the local school, they are not directly associated. They are members of the other local football league, the Keystone Football Association. Your child may play for Good Shepherd in the Catholic Football Association (CFA). So you DO have an alternative. Question - What other teams belong to the Catholic Football Association? Answer - There are 18 teams in two conferences with 4 divisions: The American Conference Division 1: Cumberland Valley, Harrisburg, Holy Name, Swatara Division 2: Cedar Cliff, Good Shepherd, Northern, Saint Joseph The National Conference Division 3: Boiling Springs, Halifax, New Cumberland, Susquenita, West Perry Division 4: Dauphin, Greenwood, Juniata, Seven Sorrows, South Hanover Question - What is the proper technique for a 3-point stance? Answer - Good question! Here you go! Question - What can I do, as a parent, to help my child prepare for football? Answer - We have to remember that kids deserve to be KIDS! We do not recommend a strict training regiment at these young ages. The best thing is to make sure your child stays active. Perhaps a sport summer camp or two, which can be fun and will help improve skills. There are some excellent non-contact football camps in the area. However, the football they play during the regular season will be plenty. It is important to not burn them out or turn them off to the sport. Any type of "play" is good for football. This includes tag, dodge-ball, soccer, climbing a tree, gymnastics, wrestling your Dad, tennis, chasing your big sister, hiking, swimming - basically anything that involves physical activity. As a parent, participate with your child! You probably would benefit from the exercise, too. Is there any activity "bad" for football? Only hours of watching TV or playing with the gameboy. We are not saying these sedimentary time-bandits aren't fun and (sometimes) educational, but kids today do way too much of it - and parents let them. A good rule is: When the sun is out, the kids should be too! For young football players, it's always a good idea to get them a football. For our league, PeeWees and Smurf use a Wilson K2, Ponies use a Wilson TDJ, while the Midgets use a Wilson TDY. Simply play catch. It doesn't have to be pretty. Just toss the ball around in the yard. As you both grow more familiar with the football, your skills will improve. We really just want to get players used to how a football feels in their hands. Finally, as parents, watch what the family eats. The American Obesity Association has found that 30% of children ages 6-11 are overweight, while 15% are considered obese. This can, even in children, equate to serious health conditions such as asthma, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. As a family, strive to limit fat and carbohydrate intake. Green vegetables are one example of a healthy alternative. Drink lots of water. Reduce trips to fast food restaurants and buffets. For more information on this topic, visit the US Dept. of Health and Human Services page on Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity. Question - I'm a first time coach. Are there some tips I can keep in mind? Answer - There are lots of tip sheets for coaching youth athletics. The best one I have found resides on the *Northern California Sports Alliance* page. Click HERE for the Top 10 Tips for Coaching Kids in Sports!