Home of the Junior Wolverines, Youth Football and Cheer in the Ann Arbor Area

To create a positive team sport experience while developing cheerleading and football fundamentals. These fundamentals reinforce the core values of sportsmanship including the challenge of competition, thrill of victory, reality of defeat, significance of commitment, and the ability to appreciate the importance of working together as a team. The life skills of responsibility, goal-setting, hard work, sportsmanship, self-control, teamwork, leadership, and perseverance are stressed on and off the field by our volunteer coaches and representatives. Our goal is to develop and guide each student athlete to reach his or her maximum potential.

By following our mission statement the overriding goal of WJF is to build young citizens through the sports of cheerleading and football. There are no “cuts” or “try-outs” and all of our cheerleaders and football players will participate in every game. As participants in The Downriver Junior Football League, we do play competitively. Our coaches make every attempt to make sure football players will play at least their minimum number of plays prescribed by the league, but it is our goal to give each player the most playing time possible. Playing time will be granted to those athletes who exhibit outstanding effort, show continued perseverance and have lots of heart.

WJF is a non-profit organization that depends on its livelihood from participation fees and selected fundraising. For 2011, the participation fee is $275 per football player. If a family has more than one sibling participating in football, the fee for each additional player is $225. The cheerleading fee is $75 per child; there is no sibling discount for cheerleading. The fees provide funds for player equipment, uniforms, field rentals, league fees, trophies, etc. There is also a $40 volunteer service time refundable deposit per participating family. All participation fees must be paid in full in order for a child to secure a spot on a team, obtain equipment, and to participate. Please make checks payable to Washtenaw Jr Football. WJF offers a limited number of scholarships based on financial hardship. Scholarship applications and required paperwork for Veterans MUST be submitted to the WJF PO box before April 22nd - NO scholarships will be given at registration. Applications can be found on the forms page of this website.

If a check made payable to Washtenaw Junior Football is returned for any reason, your child’s registration will be placed on hold and you will be charged a return check fee of $25 for each returned check. Your child may lose his roster spot if this happens. If you have previously had a returned check with our organization, you will be asked to pay with a cashier check, money order or cash only.

Parent or Guardian participation is extremely important in order to make our football program a success. WJF is an all-volunteer organization. Parents are required to commit during the season for a minimum 1 event (1 full game) per athlete by working during home games. Please be prepared to sign up for you volunteer service time on your registration date. Parents’ failure to keep their volunteer service time committment will result in relinquishment of their $40 per player refundable deposit. The only way to maintain a quality program for our children is for us all to do our part. Positions include game day roles such as spirit sales and concessions. Cheer parents will also be responsible to volunteer at the annual cheer competition in November.

Each unit has a Freshmen, Junior Varsity, and Varsity squad (team). A maximum size of 34 children per football team has been established.. Cheerleading squads will be limited to 25 children per team. Football team assignments will be made according to League rules and at the discretion of WJF. Veterans (those who were on the roster in 2010) will return to their prior year unit. New participants are assigned to their unit based on school attendance area (see boundaries) in the order that their registrations are received. In the case of limited space, participants will be assigned to a waiting list. In order to comply with league rules, WJF will not honor special requests for team assignment, e.g. if you would like to be assigned to a specific coach’s team or with a specific teammate.

Freshman

Junior Varsity

Varsity

AGE 8

12/02/02 - 12/01/03

AGE 9

12/02/01 - 12/01/02

Weights up to 110 pounds

AGE 10

12/02/00 - 12/01/01

AGE 11

12/02/99 - 12/01/00

Weights up to 130 pounds

AGE 12

12/02/98 - 12/01/99

AGE 13

12/02/97 - 12/01/98

Weights up to 150 pounds

Children who live in Ann Arbor and attended the following Middle Schools (Clague, Scarlett), Ypsilanti High, Lincoln, and Willow Run High School, and other East Washtenaw County high school districts.

Children who live in Ann Arbor and attended the following Middle Schools (Ann Arbor Open, Forsythe, Slauson, Tappan), Saline High, Dexter, Chelsea High School, and other West Washtenaw County high school districts.

The 2011 season is scheduled to begin with practice on Monday, August 15th 2011 at 6:00 p.m. for the Blue Unit and 5:30 p.m. for the Maize Unit. Each participant must have 4 NO CONTACT-conditioning practices, where playes are not in pads and do not hit. 4 no-contact practices must be completed before a player can dress in pads and hit. Games are scheduled to begin Saturday or Sunday, September 10th or 11th. The season will run eleven to twelve weeks depending if a team makes the post-season playoffs. Teams will be scheduled for 4 “home” games and 4 “away” games during the regular season. Home field locations to be determined. Away fields will be in the Downriver area.

All games are held either on Saturdays or Sundays and will be scheduled between the hours of 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. except for evening and night games. The playing order of each game will be stated on the schedule. Each game generally lasts for approximately 2 hours. Teams play four (4) quarters, each twelve (12) minutes long with a half-time break. Participants are required to participate in post-season playoffs and cheerleading competition (football players are expected to attend) as well as any other WJF or DJFL sanctioned event.

The Blue unit will practice at Allmendinger Park located on Pauline between Hutchins and Edgewood in Ann Arbor. The Maize unit will practice at Southeast Park located located on Ellsworth at Platt in Ann Arbor. Practice will begin with four days of conditioning, Monday, August 15, 2011. Full contact practice will begin Friday, August 19th 2011. Preseason practices will be held Monday through Friday, August 15th to August 26th from 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (Blue) and 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (Maize). Practices will be held on Saturday August 20th and Saturday August 27th at the coach’s discretion. No practice will be held from September 2nd - September 5th, (for the Labor Day Weekend). Beginning Sept 6th, practice days will change to Tuesdays through Fridays from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Blue and Maize). Practice time may change to 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. in early October due to early evening darkness. If teams qualify for playoffs and championship games, additional November practices will be scheduled for cheerleaders as well as football players. Cheerleading practice times and locations may vary from football. Please check with your coach for exact practice schedule.