WHAT TO EXPECT
SEASON OVERVIEW
Our season runs August 1st-November for football. Practices begin the first week of August, and teams typically practice up to 5 days per week during the first 2 weeks. Once school begins, practices will be 2-4 days per week for 1.5-2 hours. We practice at the lower elementary school fields, park & enter through the gate on School Bus Lane. Games begin at the end of August and are played every Saturday throughout San Diego county and into the Temecula/Murrieta area.
PRACTICES
Practice begins for all participants on August 1st.. We practice at fields in the area designated for each division. For the first 2-3 weeks of August, all participants will practice Monday through Friday for two hours each night. All Pop Warner participants are expected to begin practice on August 1st.
WHAT TO WEAR
Flag football participants should wear shorts, t-shirts and cleats. Tackle football participants should wear shorts, t-shirts and cleats. Do not wear football equipment until told to by your coach. After completing 10 hours of conditioning, players will begin wearing practice uniforms and full pads. Every participant should bring a water bottle and mouth piece to every practice.
GAMES
All regular-season games are scheduled to be played on Saturdays at various locations around SD county and the Temecula/Murrieta area. Generally, the first regular-season game is on the last Saturday of August. There are games Labor Day weekend. We typically do not receive the game schedule until a couple of days before the first scheduled game, and there are frequent changes made to the schedule immediately after that. We do not have any control over the schedule or when it is disseminated. The regular season usually runs through the first weekend in November for all tackle teams. The Flag division usually concludes their season with an inter-league "bowl" game at the end of the season. Teams in the 9U division and older are eligible to compete in post-season competition based on their win/loss record. Post-season competition may include regional and national championships and/or invitational bowls, which can run through Thanksgiving or into December, if a team goes on to nationals.
UNIFORMS & GEAR
Flag football players wear team jersey and pants during their games. Players are provided the team jersey by their coaches during practice. Players are responsible for providing their own shorts. Shorts worn by flag football players at games cannot have any pockets. Tackle football participants will be provided all necessary equipment and game uniforms, except cleats. Participants must be present at equipment distribution so equipment can be fitted.
COACHES
Each football team has a head coach and up to four assistant coaches. In addition, the staff includes a business manager and a team parent, for a total of seven rostered staff. The VCPW Board selects the head coaches. The head coaches then select their assistant coaches from the pool of applications. Because of the limited number of rostered coaching positions, not everyone who submits a coach application gets to coach. However, many head coaches appreciate the extra assistance of parent helpers at practices. Talk to the head coach about this option if you are not selected as an assistant coach. All rostered staff must pass a criminal background check through Livescan and take appropriate training classes online.