The season officially starts on Monday, four weeks before Labor Day of each year and ends the 2nd Sunday of November. No practice may occur prior to the season starting date and no conditioning prior to the starting date shall apply to the conditioning requirements.

When do practices start?
The season kicks off in August, four weeks prior to Labor Day, with mandatory skills assessments. These days go toward the 10 hours of conditioning every player must have before wearing pads. Manadatory skills assessments are usually Mon-Tues-Wed in the evening, typic ally between 5-8pm. The assessments are run by the high school football staff while the youth coaches observe and assess. No pads are worn duirng assessments, only helmets. If needed, assessments may continue through Thurs. Regular practices typically begin the week after, as scheduled by the respective teams, but some coaches may choose to begin practice the Fiday night of that first week, so we suggest you keep the entire week open and available.

How long are practices?
Most practices are about 2 hours long. Practice time does NOT include water breaks, so plan on two and a half hours for each practice. Each coach will set their own practice start and end times and communicate them to the parents at the very beginning of the season. Our staff are all volunteers and some even coach multiple teams, so they do the best they can to make practices a routine, but there will be instances where days/times may vary depending on their availability.

How many practices are there per week?
Between the end of assessments and the start of school, each team may practice up to 10 hours per week. After the start of school, each team may only practice up to 6 hours a week. Water breaks are not part of that time. Game day is not considered practice time.

What about the vacation I have scheduled?
We strongly recommend that you schedule around the football season. As explained above, there are minimum times for conditioning before a player can wear pads and minimum time in pads before a player can scrimmage or play in a game. Once a player gets behind, it can be very difficult to catch up.

Is practice cancelled because of weather?
No. Practice is almost never cancelled due to weather. We will practice in the rain, cold, heat, or snow, as long as it's safe for our players.

What should my child bring to practice?
For the required 10 hour conditioning period they should wear shorts, a t-shirt, cleats, mouthpiece, and their helmet. Once they have satisfied the conditioning requirement, we will wear full uniform every practice. This consists of helmet with mouth guard, shoulder pads, practice jersey, pants with all pads, and cleats. Finally, every player should bring PLENTY of water to each practice. We CANNOT over-emphasize the importance of this. We recommend at LEAST 1/2 gallon or more. This will be especially important on hot days.

How should my child prepare for practice?
Drinking plenty of water prior to practice is key especially in warm weather. We do not recommend that they eat heavily before practice. It's also a good idea to skip sugary drinks or soda on practice days. Once school starts, it's a good idea to make your child responsible for their gear and to set it up at night before they go to sleep. We see players show up at practice missing gear all the time. If they aren't fully dressed, they can't practice and this is detrimental to the team. The most commonly forgotten items are mouth guards.

Finally, please remember the importance of being on time for practice. Additionally, if you're dropping your player off and picking them up, also please remember to be there on time to pick them up. Our coaches are volunteers and have families of their own so we ask that you please be respectful of their time.

How long are the games?
Games are made up of four 10 minute quarters. With clock stoppages, half time, moving the chains, etc., most games last two hours. In addition, players are expected to be at the field at least an hour before the game to warm up and weigh in. So count on spending 3 hours at a game. If the game ends in a tie, time is available, and the officials allow, there may be a "Kansas Plan" tie breaker to determine the winner.

How many games are there?
The 3rd/4th grade teams each play 7 scheduled games and then one "Medal" game against an opponent determined at the end of the season. 5th/6th, JV and Varsity teams each play 8 scheduled games. Those in the top 4 of their respective TVYFL division will advance to the playoffs, which can mean an additional two games; a playoff game, and a championship game, for the winners of the playoff games.

Where are games played?
Our home games are played at Oregon City High School Pioneer Stadium (Jackson Campus). Our away games are played against others in the TVYFL. While they try to keep us close to home, we can play anywhere within the TVYFL.

Why do players have to get to the game so early?
Players are expected to get to the game site at least an hour before game time. This ensures that there is adequate time to warm up and weigh in. Being late for warm ups can increase your chance for injuries, while being late for weigh in can cause you to be disqualified from the game. It is important to be on time to the game site. If you are "time challenged", consider carpooling or setting your alarm 30 to 60 minutes earlier than usual. You don't want to be hurt, and you don't want to miss a game!

How much will each player get to play in the games?
The TVYFL is a very physical and competitive league. TVYFL has a minimum 10 play rule. This means that you will play in at least 10 active plays per game. Additional playing time can be earned in practice. The position, skill - and the especially the willingness to work hard, will often determine how much a player plays beyond the minimum 10 plays. Ultimately playing time is left up to the discretion of the coaches.

What position will each player play?
Most players will play "both ways", both on offense and defense. And most players will play several positions during the season. Coaches will observe and work with the players to find the best locations for each player. We want every student athlete to be successful!

What rules are used?
In general we use the High School football rules as defined by the NFHS. There are several modifications to these rules adopted by the TVYFL.

What is the Kansas Plan rule?
The Kansas Plan rule is a way to break ties, usually at the end of a game, but it can also be used as a playoff at the end of the regular season to determine who makes it into the playoffs. Basically, the ball is placed 10 to 25 yards away from the goal (depending on division), and the offensive team has 4 tries to score. Then the teams switch sides and the new offensive team has 4 tries. If only one team scores, they are the winner. Otherwise, the game ends in a tie.

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