Frequently Asked Questions
Subscribe to our NewsletterFrequently Asked Questions
- What is the registration process for Football and Cheer Participants?
- What is the registration process for Flag Football and Cheer Participants?
- Who is eligible to participate?
- What is the parental commitment?
- When does the Pop Warner season begin and end each season?
- PRACTICES: When and where? What do I bring? Do parents stay?
- GAMES: When and where are the games played? Which towns do we play?
1. What is the registration process for Football and Cheer Participants?
Open registration for the 2017 season ended June 7, 2017. Late registration is open.
Pop Warner requires a completed registration packet, an original birth certificate, the participant's June 2017 report card, and a completed medical form (included in the registration packet).
New for 2017, Wilmington Pop Warner offers an online registration form. This form offers the flexibility of paying for registration online. The completed paper registration forms are still required at this time.
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2. What is the registration process for Flag Football and Cheer Participants?
Open registration for the 2017 season ended June 7, 2017. Late registration is open.
The Flag Football and Cheer registration form is here.
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3. Who is eligible to participate?
All children living in Wilmington or going to school in Wilmington, and children in neighboring towns that don't have a Pop Warner program are welcome to participate, provided they meet the following basic criteria:
- Are between the ages of 5-15 as of July 31st, 2017
- Maintain a 70% scholastic average
- Meet the age and weight requirements set forth by National Pop Warner Little Scholars organization (see chart below).
*Children from bordering towns may also participate in Wilmington Pop Warner if their town cannot field a team of if they get a waiver from their local program.
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4. What is the parental commitment?
Most importantly, you do your children a great service by making sure they get to practices and games on time, and with the right equipment/uniform. In addition, Wilmington Pop Warner relies heavily on parents volunteering their time. There are many activities that go into making Pop Warner a great experience for our families. Volunteers are needed for fundraising, working on the "Chain Gang,” taking pictures, etc. Many of our volunteers enjoy supporting the program and getting to know the parents of their child's teammates. Special volunteering opportunities will be announced via the Wilmington Pop Warner webpage.
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5. When does the Pop Warner season begin and end each season?
The Wilmington Pop Warner 2017 season begins on Tuesday, August 1st, 2017. The regular season ends in late October, but playoffs and cheer competitions can extend the season by a few weeks.
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6. PRACTICES: When and where? What do I bring? Do parents stay?
When and where are practices?
Practices starts on Tuesday, August 1st for football and cheerleading. They will run up to four nights, Monday through Thursday, with a maximum of 10 hours of practice each week. Practice times are generally 6 - 8 PM, but are set by the head coach. After Labor Day, practices are limited to 6 hours per week (4hrs for Mitey Mites). Prior to Labor Day, Football and Cheerleading practices are held at the field behind Wilmington Town Hall.
What should I bring to practice?
In addition to their equipment, players should come to practice with water or Gatorade. Insect repellent may also be helpful on certain nights.
Do parents have to stay at each practice?
No, parents are allowed to leave their child unattended as their emergency contact information is in the Roster Book and with their Head Coach at all times. The parent must arrive back to the field 10 minutes before the end of the practice. A Wilmington Pop Warner Board member stays at the field or at cheer practice until every player is picked up.
What do August Practices consist of?
The most challenging part of Pop Warner is the first two weeks of practice. There is lots of physical conditioning, it will be hot, and new players are getting used to their equipment. During this period, the coaches will do everything they can to ensure that players have fun, stay well hydrated and learn the skills they need to have a great season. The first week of football practice is primarily conditioning. Players will be wearing only their helmets, shorts, t-shirts and cleats. After 10 hours of practice, the players will wear all of their equipment and begin physical contact. For cheer, most of the first two weeks of practice are spent fulfilling Pop Warner's mandatory 20hrs of conditioning. After this time, they can begin stunting.
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7. GAMES: When and where are the games played? Which towns do we play?
There are eight regular season games (four home/four away) played on Sundays, beginning the weekend after Labor Day, Sept. 10th, 2017 and running through the last Sunday in October. Starting times for games are expected to be Mitey Mites (E) 8 a.m. Jr. PeeWee (D) 9:30 a.m. PeeWee (C) 11:00 a.m. Jr Varsity (B) 12:30 p.m. Varsity (A) 2:00 p.m.
If a football team or cheer team (except Mitey Mites (E) teams) qualifies for post season activities, the post season schedule can run through Thanksgiving weekend for football playoffs, and until December 15 for cheering competitions.
Home games are held at the Wilmington Town Hall field on Glen Road. Wilmington Pop Warner participates in the Middlesex League of the Pop Warner Football Conference of Eastern Massachusetts (PWFCEM). Wilmington is in Division 3, and can play any Division 3 team in the Eastern Massachusetts conference or the Central Massachusetts conference during our 8-week regular season schedule.
Schedules are subject to change per EMass Pop Warner's discretion.
