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Gretna Flag & Tackle Football and Cheer (GYSF)

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Is your child ready for tackle football?

Only you as parents can determine whether your child is ready for this step. You will want to consider the time commitment (normally 2-3 practices a week and a game after school starts, up to 5 practices prior to school starting) and attentiveness of your child. Can he/she stay focused for a 1 1/2 or 2 hour practice? As we would never discourage playing other sports, it is not advisable to play tackle football and another fall sport (fall baseball, soccer, martial arts) in order to get the most out of the football experience. All Games are played on Sundays.

GYSF belongs to the Metro Youth Football League (MYFL) and has tackle teams in two divisions... Legacy & Metro. The Legacy teams will be composed of our more experienced players, while the Metro teams will provide a platform for our less experienced players to develop their skills and gain valuable playing time. Our coaches will work with each player, irrespective of the team they are on, to help them realize their full potential.

We are confident that this structure will continue to improve the overall quality of our program and will also provide our players with valuable experiences and opportunities to grow both on and off the field. Our goal is to help each player develop, achieve success, and continue to enjoy playing the game.

Quoted from a USA Football Parent...

Safety: The reality is that no youth sport is void of risk. For example, my son often (unintentionally) butted heads with other players playing soccer and flag football, coming away with bloody noses and bruised heads. He experienced neither with tackle football. One reason starts with how they are coached.

Size: We found that starting tackle football at a younger age was a safety advantage. When the boys are smaller and weigh less at a younger age is the time to start tackle. To learn early on to play the right way and in an organization which teaches safe play. We did NOT want him to continue to play flag then switch to tackle at or shortly before playing high school (tackle) football.

Another aspect of safety is the “striper” program. Players are designated as “stripers” when they meet or exceed a weight threshold, by age group. Those designated stripers have a highlighted stripe sticker on their helmet which easily identifies them as being ineligible to carry the football. This translates to a safer game as the bigger kids can’t run the ball. My son is a striper and he loved it, doing battle in the trenches as both an offensive lineman and defensive tackle. There were many smaller players who were able to play a variety of positions on both sides of the ball.

Conditioning: Conditioning was a major reason the boys stayed healthy throughout the season. Strength and cardiovascular conditioning meant the boys played with proper form throughout the games the entire season.

Equipment: Equipment sold today is built to absorb impact way more than when I was a kid. Equipment manufacturers have a vested interest in making safer helmets and pads. Even “entry level” equipment is built to the highest safety standards.

We proudly support Gretna Public Schools and run our organization as a Feeder program to both Gretna High School and Gretna East High School.

REGISTRATION POINTERS

1. REGISTER NOW & Pay by Equipment Uniform Order (June 1) to secure your placement on a team.

2. Click LOGIN (if you have an account) or REGISTER (to create an account)

3. Forgot your password? Click on Forgot Username or Password. If you still can't reset it, email [email protected].

4. If you are NOT paying at the time of registration, please make sure to go all the way through the registration and when it comes to Pay in Full, click CONTINUE and change the drop down from Credit to Check.  You can still return to your account anytime to pay by credit card.

5. Other Payment Options: Mail to GYSF, PO BOX 514, Gretna, NE 68028 OR VENMO @GYSF-Football

6. REMEMBER - All payments MUST be completed by Equipment Uniform Ordering (June 1) in order to be placed on a team.

TACKLE REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Grade Divisions (Grade based on Fall 2024)		2024 Rates
3rd-8th grade		$400 ($3 Service Fee will also be added to this amount)

** Keep your game jersey & game pants at season end.

EARLYBIRD DISCOUNT: Register by April 15, 2024 and receive $50 off Registration Fee

FAMILY DISCOUNTS:  $50 off each of the next children registered in Tackle (No Discount for registering a child in tackle & another in flag or cheer)

REGISTER NOW & PAY BY JUNE 1:  Placement on a team WILL NOT be complete until Paid in Full (Cash, Check, Credit Card or VENMO @GYSF-Football)

REGISTRATION CLOSES MAY 15 or until teams are full - Don't wait to register

LATE REGISTRATION after MAY 15:  $25 Late Fee added to Registration (no guarantee spots will be available as teams could be full.

Birth certificate or Passport IS required for participation & uploaded at registration. You must have this in order to weigh-in.

8th grade MUST have a school schedule to verify grade for FALL.

Physicals are NOT required.

Any player returning from the previous year may choose to return to the same team (if selected) or go back into the draft.

2024 SEASON DATES

Date		Event
February 12		2024 Registration OPENS
April 15		$50 OFF Discount ENDS
May 15		Registration closed (may close earlier if teams are full)
Week of May 20		Uniform Fittings (More info to come)
June 1		All Payments DUE in FULL
June 10		Pre-Draft Workout (All players 3rd-8th grades) 6pm
July 21		Equipment Checkout 12p-2p
August 1		Practice Begins
August 17 or 18		Mandatory Team Weigh-ins @ Papio-LaVista OR Westview
August 25		Gretna In-House Jamboree Scrimmages TBD
September 1		Games Begin (Labor Day)
October 13 & 20		Playoffs (all teams)
October 26		Metro Division & 3rd grade Championships @ Elkhorn High
October 27		Legacy & 8th grade Championships @ Papio South
November 3		Equipment Checkin 12p-130p

Helmets ONLY will be worn the First TWO Days of practice to follow the Heat Acclimatization policy that has been put into place by the NSAA.

Playing Teams from MYFL Omaha League.

Games on Sundays Only.

PLAYING TIME

GYSF teams are constructed through a Draft Process and No Player will be able to request a specific coach. This has been the policy for many years and has proven to be successful. Teams are broken into Legacy and Metro Divisions.

With the new levels of play in the MYFL, GYSF is excited for the future opportunities that this will provide to all players. For grades 4th - 7th, we will have teams that will play in both levels (Legacy and Metro). The Legacy teams will be composed of our more experienced players, while the Metro teams will provide a platform for our less experienced players to develop their skills and gain valuable playing time. Our coaches will work with each player, irrespective of the team they are on, to help them realize their full potential.

We are confident that this new structure will continue to improve the overall quality of our program and will also provide our players with valuable experiences and opportunities to grow both on and off the field. Our goal is to help each player develop, achieve success, and continue to enjoy playing the game.

As the safety of all players continues to grow GYSF has specific rules on playing time per player. Each level will have a different amount of required playing time rules.

3rd & 4th grade - 8 plays per game
5th grade - 6 plays per game
6th grade - 4 plays per game
7th & 8th grade - no minimum play rule

As the players reach the 7th & 8th grade levels and we are preparing them for High School, we have met with the High School coaches for suggestions for practices, drills, etc. We are excited to continue to build our relationship with the High School coaching staffs and develop our youth as student athletes of the Gretna Community and serve as a feeder teams to Gretna High School & Gretna East High School.

** Due to the number of Qualified/Certified Coaches, most grades will only be able to support a certain number of players per team in order to ensure quality playing time. A Pre-draft workout will be held on Monday, June 10, 2024 @ 6pm - Location TBD. It is imperative that ALL players be at this pre-draft workout.

8th grade players ONLY:

Due to the number of Qualified / Certified Coaches, there will only be TWO 8th grade teams for the 2024 season. Our coaches will continue to prepare your player for high school and there will be no required minimum amount of playing time.

All 8th grade players will need to be at the pre-draft workout on Monday, June 10, 2024 @ 6pm - Location TBD as there will be a maximum number of players allowed on each team and the players will run through a DRAFT SELECTION PROCESS until this maximum number is reached. When this number has been reached for each team and your player was not selected, we remind you that both Gretna Middle and Aspen Creek Middle have 7th & 8th grade football teams.

DO NOT PAY -- You still need to complete the entire registration and choose CHECK (Pay Later) at the end of the process. Once you have been selected for a team you will need to process your payment by June 15 with check, cash, venmo or signing back into your account to pay with credit card.

EQUIPMENT

1. Shoulder Pads provided by GYSF & returned.

2. Practice Pants / Practice Jersey / 7 pc Pads provided by GYSF & returned.

3. Game Jersey & Game Pants are yours to keep @ season end.

4. Mouthguards provided by GYSF and must be worn at practice & games - (extras $1)

5. Player is responsible for purchasing a WHITE Helmet (No tinted shields) - Reconditioning Expectations

6. No metal Football cleats

Site Links

Gretna Youth Sports Foundation Flag & Tackle Football & Cheer

PO Box 514
Gretna, Nebraska 68028
Phone : 402-680-5651
Email : [email protected]