Affiliation:  Football teams compete in the Chesterfield Quarterback League (CQL).  WAA conducts registration, selects coaches, forms teams and provides uniforms/equipment. Game schedules and rules are provided by the league.  WAA is represented at the league level by the Football Administrator.

Eligibility:  Children ages 6-13 as of August 1, 2007.  Eighth graders who are 14 years old and less than 115 lbs. may also play.

Fees:  Players participating in the tackle leagues (Minors, Juniors and Seniors) will be charged $145.  Flag participants will be charged $95.  There is a family maximum of $240.  A late fee of $20 will be charged when registering after July 31.

Equipment:  Players are required to provide their own shoulder pads.  Molded rubber cleats are highly recommended to improve traction.  The Association provides a helmet, hip, thigh and knee pads, practice & game jerseys, practice & game pants, game socks and mouth piece.  Optional items such as forearm pads, elbow pads, rib pads or gloves may be purchased at the family’s discretion.

Concession Stand:  A concession stand is operated at home games to supplement the football budget.  Each home game is assigned to one of the teams (Flag, Minors, Juniors and Seniors).  Parents are expected to volunteer 1 hour during their assigned week.

League Names & Age Divisions:

Age is as of August 1, 2005.
 

Weight Limits:  All players, regardless of weight, are given an opportunity to play.  Players above the weight limit are known as “stripers” and may not advance the ball.  This means stripers cannot play the offensive backfield, be a receiver or punt the ball.  Defensively, stripers may play any position.  However, should they  intercept a pass or recover a fumble, stripers must immediately fall on the ball.  Players who are one year beyond the age limit can “play down” provided they weigh less than the play down limit.  “Play Downs” are automatically striped.  Weigh-in occurs at the beginning of the season but may be challenged by another team until October 1.

Team Selection:  There are no try-outs and no cuts.  All players are given the opportunity to be on a team. 

Coaches:  Head coaches are selected by the Football Administrator.  Assistant coaches are selected by the head coaches.

Season:  Pre-season practice begins four (4) weeks prior to Labor Day.  Games begin the weekend after Labor Day.  There is an 8-game schedule plus 4 or 5 Monday Night games.  The regular season ends in October.  Playoffs end in November, usually before Thanksgiving.

Games:  Games begin the weekend after Labor Day.  Most games are played on Saturday morning.  Occasionally, Saturday evening games are played against opponents with lighted fields, e.g. Clover Hill, Crenshaw, etc.  In addition, one Wednesday night game is typically played.  On Saturday mornings, Flag begin at 9:00 AM followed by Minors at 10:00 AM, Juniors at 11:00 AM and Seniors at 12:00 noon.  However, the actual starting times depend on the ending time of the previous game.

For Saturday evening games, Flag plays at 5:00 PM followed by Minors, Juniors and Seniors in order.  Please note: the Woolridge Athletic Association does not set up the game schedules.

Monday Night Football:  Beginning several weeks into the season, additional games are played on Monday nights for the Minors, Juniors and Seniors, in lieu of practice.  These games are intended to provide additional playing opportunity for those players who see limited action on Saturdays.  Four (4) Monday Night Games are typical.

Practice:  Practice begins on the Monday four weeks prior to Labor Day.  Players are required to complete five (5) practices in shorts before practicing in full equipment.  Practice is held six (6) days a week until Labor Day weekend and includes several scrimmages.  Once the season begins, practice is typically reduced to Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings.  Occasional Friday practices may be held at the discretion of the coaches.  Monday practices are replaced with “Monday Night Football” once the season is underway.  Evening practices begin at 6:30 PM at the start of the season.  Practice time is moved up as the season progresses since there are no lights at Woolridge Elementary School. 

Post Season Play:  Both conference winners and the six (6) teams with the next best records enter the playoffs in each division, Northern and Southern.  The playoffs are single elimination and culminate with the “Superbowl” on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  There is no post season play in the Flag league.

Senior Bowl:   Second-year Senior-level players whose team has been eliminated from the playoffs are eligible for the Senior Bowl.  The Senior Bowl pits the Northern Division against the Southern Division.  Up to four (4) players may be selected from each team. 

Pictures:  Team and individual pictures are usually taken prior to the first game and may be purchased for an additional charge. 

Recognition:  A ceremony is held following the season to award trophies and recognize the players.

Insurance:  Supplemental medical insurance is provided by the league and is funded by registration fees.  This insurance covers out-of-pocket expenses not  paid by the family’s primary medical policy and are subject to a $100 deductible.  The Football Administrator has forms and instructions for making a claim against this policy.

Open Player  Policy:  Children who play for an association other than the one affiliated with the elementary school boundary in which they live are considered open players and must be "released" by their home association in order to play elsewhere.  Children who live within the Woolridge Elementary School attendance boundaries will only be released to play for another association if we are unable to place them on a team.  Should this occur, players who request to play for another association will be released according to the request date.  Since the Woodlake Athletic Association (Clover Hill Elementary School) does not offer football, players from this association do not need to be released to play at Woolridge.

Other Sports:  The WAA also sponsors baseball, softball, basketball and cheerleading.