Welcome to Del Campo Jr Cougars Youth Football

Del Campos Jr Cougars welcome youth athletes in the age groups below, whether they have years of football experience or have never played football before.  We are a feeder program to Del Campo High School. 

We have 4 teams, and each team is based on age as of August 1st of the current year.

• 8u (Ages 6-8)
• 10u (Ages 8-10)
• 12u (Ages 10-12)
• 14u (Ages 12-14)

The Del Campo Jr Cougars organization is a member of SYF (Sacramento Youth Football).  SYF has multiple divisions each year, and division placements can vary.  Specific division placement will be announced when it is released by SYF. 

The exact dates can change each year when the official SYF start dates are released, but below are some general informational items that you’ll find useful.  Youth football is a substantial time commitment, and we want to make sure our families are aware.  Once the calendar is finalized and announced, it will be very specific and detailed.

* We encourage players to play other sports in the football off-season, but will announce any football skill development or strength and conditioning opportunities that we would suggest or offer, such as DCJC-hosted camps. *

• All of our practices and official camps will be held at Will Rogers Middle School (times TBD)
• Camps usually start in the spring on Sundays. Dates, times, & locations will be posted. 
• The season will officially start in mid-July with 5 practices per week, Monday-Friday.
• Once the San Juan School district returns to school, we will go down to 3 practices per week, Tuesday-Thursday
• Once our games begin in early September, practices will remain three days per week (T - Th).
• We will have at least one weekend jamboree/scrimmage day, approximately 7 or 8 regular season games on Saturdays (one may be held on a Sunday to account for a current shortage of officials), and if the individual teams advance to the postseason, then those teams will potentially have additional playoff & championship games on Saturdays.
• Home games will be at Del Campo High School Football Stadium, and away games will be at various locations throughout the region.
• Game times are as follows: 8u - 10am, 10u - 12pm, 12u - 2pm, 14u - 4pm.
• Games usually last approximately 2 hours, and coaches generally ask athletes to arrive approximately 90 minutes before game time for pre-game meetings and warmups.
• The season will end in mid to late October to mid-November, depending on playoffs & results.

Yes.  Football is a team sport, and practices are important for players to learn to work as a team on their offensive, defensive, and special-teams schemes and plans.  It is important to have all players at practices.  In the event that a situation arises where you will not be able to attend practice, please contact your head coach and team parent as soon as possible.  Depending on the situation, there may be gameday consequences for missed practices.

Yes. There will be specified areas at practice for parents to stay and watch (bringing a folding chair is recommended).  It is helpful for parents to watch practice to see what skills, schemes, and techniques are being taught and what role their player has on the team so the parent can support and supplement these things at home.  It is very important for parents to understand their role as spectators and allow their child to be with their team and their child’s coaches to provide guidance, correct behavior, and coach without parental interference.

Your registration includes a  DCJC football bag, practice jersey, practice pants, DCJC certified helmet, shoulder pads, game day jersey/s, game day pant/s, mouthguard.  All equipment will need to be returned besides mouthguard, and game day jersey/s. 

Equipment will be distributed on specific dates prior to the first scrimmage.

Note: players may use their own personal helmet and shoulder pads, provided they meet all California equipment certification laws.

Families must provide football cleats.

All athletes will also need to bring a large jug of water to each practice and game.

• We provide high quality safety equipment (helmets & shoulder pads) to all players in our program. Helmets are reconditioned between each season.
• EMT professionals will be present at every game.
• We have dedicated Board Members for equipment and medical needs.  These board members or another assigned and trained adult will be present at all practices and are responsible for monitoring any possible equipment or medical need.
• All coaches at all levels will be trained on the USA Football Heads Up Concussion and Heat Stroke Awareness
• Several DCJC staff  are CPR and First Aid certified, and board members and all coaches  must pass a full background check in order to become an SYF certified coach.[VB1] 
• Our teams will have a systematic approach to practice scheduling to keep the focus on technique, skill, and knowledge development to improve technique and confidence prior to contact.  Football is a physical sport and nobody can ever guarantee an injury-free experience, but all of our practices at all levels will focus on developmentally appropriate drills and progressions to maximize development and minimize unnecessary contact and risk.

Dependent on various factors, including roster sizes and safety concerns, there may be certain situations that require difficult roster decisions to be made.  These situations will be clearly communicated and discussed with families as early as possible, within the first two weeks of practice.

SYF does not have a playing time requirement.  All playing time in games will be at the coach’s discretion and earned during practice.  That being said, we as an organization have a developmental philosophy and will make it a priority to get every player on every roster an appropriate game experience to help their development.  Our desire to develop young players is equal to our desire to win games.  If you have any questions or concerns about playing time, please discuss with the head coach at your level.

Position assignments will be made for players with several factors in mind, including team needs and roster makeup, player skill set, and projections of player success on the field.  Position preferences may or may not be taken into consideration.  It is important to understand that all players will learn a variety of skills to help them become better overall football players regardless of what position they play, and that what position(s) they play this year in youth football will not limit their future position possibilities in our youth program and/or high school.  

• Registration is $400. Deposits are required and are in addition to registration cost. ($200 mandatory parent volunteer hours deposit, $150 mandatory football equipment deposit, $50 mandatory fundraising deposit)
• Registration opens March 1st. $100 minimum payment at the time of registration is required to hold your childs place on the roster. Payments may be made in any increments, total balance is due before August 1st. No Exceptions.
• Payment in full must be received prior to August 1st. Athletes accounts that are not paid in full  will be asked to sit out of practice until payment is received in full.
• Accounts with past due balances will be unable to register for a future season until the past due amount is received.
• In the event that your athlete is no longer a member of the team, full or partial refunds may be considered before final team placements are made or before August 1, whichever comes first.  Extenuating circumstances will be reviewed on a case by case basis.
• Families will need to purchase some equipment items for themselves as referenced in the equipment section.
• There is a possibility of financial assistance to families that have financial needs.  Please email us at treasurer.dcjc@gmail.com for details.
• Our program needs your financial support.  Please participate in and tell your friends about our fundraising efforts and events to support our program!
• If you own a company, work for a company, or know of a company that would like to support our program, please encourage them to become a business sponsor.  More information is on the sponsorships tab on our website.

Yes, our program has no paid staff, and is run completely by volunteers.  It is important that each family does their part to help our systems run smoothly.  There are several types of jobs to sign up for in order to meet your required hours. Learn more by visiting the VOLUNTEERS tab on our website. 10 hours per registered athlete is required. More information will be provided by our Board Member overseeing volunteer hours.  

• Medical Release/Physical:  All athletes must have a medical release (physical) done after April 1st and turned in before any participation.  The physician should complete the SYF Physical Form and MUST be signed and stamped by the physician.
• Proof of Age:  ALL athletes must provide Proof of Age by providing one of the following:
  • School Registration Information Sheet: Printed from the school information system for the upcoming school year beginning this Fall.  Must include child's name, date of birth, address and grade in the Fall.
  • Letter of School Verification: Letter from school office for the upcoming year beginning this Fall.  Must include child's name, date of birth, address and grade in the Fall on school letterhead and must include school stamp and be signed. 

TIP: Print out or request letter of school enrollment verification/proof of age requirement by the end of May, prior to school information systems or offices closing for summer.

• Check our Website
• Join our Del Campo Jr Cougars group on Facebook 
• Follow Del Campo Jr Cougars @wpjrpanthers on Instagram
• Once you get registered, check your emails consistently for updates and information.
• Talk about Del Campo Jr Cougars in the community, and tell your friends.  Word of mouth is still a great way to get information out there!

Feel free to email any of our board members at any time with any questions, informational needs, or concerns about our program.  You can see our Board of Directors along with contact information on the ABOUT US tab on the website.