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                                         THE HUDDLE               October 2009

Official Newsletter from American Youth Football & Cheer
The Largest Youth Football Organization in the U.S.A

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3 New AYF Hall of Fame Inductees Added to the Class of 2009

Ed Krause - Melrose Park, IL

Clarence Maxwell - Tampa, FL

Bill Snyder - Oriole Park, IL

This is the highest individual honor bestowed upon an AYF member. It represents a lifetime of dedication to youth.

The inductions will take place December 9th 2009 during the AYF/AYC National Championships.

Congratulations and Thank You to the 2009 Class.
 
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AYF Leagues can now be part of the 2009 ACC Championship Game!
Register your team for the
2009 ACC Youth Football and Cheerleading Celebration!


This year's ACC Football festivities will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL on Saturday, December 5th. The Youth Celebration is available to a limited number of participants and is destined to be the absolute best end-of-the-year party for youth football players, cheerleaders, coaches, officials, family and friends!
 
Youth football players/cheerleaders & coaches receive:
�Free access to the ACC Youth Football and Cheerleading Celebration (includes Under Armour football combine, cheer instruction & more!)
�Free access to ACC FanFest!
�Free food, drinks, music, prizes and more!
�A free ticket (for participants 8th grade or younger, limited number available) to the 2009
Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game, nationally televised on ESPN at 8pm.
�Select teams will be chosen to participate in an on-field ceremony!
 
Additional tickets for family and friends are available for only $25 (includes everything above).  For more information contact Ben Tario.

Check out the ACC Youth Event Website Here

Follow ACC football Action here
Register for the ACC Football Weekly e-blast here
 Exclusive Offer for AYF Members

BEBoomer Esiason invites you to register now at www.trickitoutsports.com and receive a free starter pack of Trick It Out Football cards and 6 months web based membership.
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Trick it Out Football is the Official Skills Competition of the AYF National Championships.    
Shutterfly Offers Free Team Share Sites!
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Share and celebrate the memories of this season with a free personalized Share site,
 
Share and access everyone's pictures and video from games and tournaments. Set-up wizard gets you up and running in minutes.

Click here to Create a site Now! 

REGIONALS

Get Ready for November?
Think you got swagger?
Bring it to a regional championship!
Get In touch with the Commissioners.

Contact AYC or AYF if you need more information

Regional Event Details will be distributed soon!
ncf09AYF& AYC Championships
Upcoming deadline: Tournament Leagues to Apply for Florida Tax Exemption!  www.ayfchampionships.com
  Get your AYF Wilson Balls Now

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For Team Pricing Call: 1-866-828-1397
 
National Websites

AYF Home Page
Under Armour AYF Championship Site
Join AYF
Shop AYF
MyAYF Members ONLY Service Panel
Coach/Admin/Parent Social Network
Players ONLY Network new site launching soon!
AYF Presidents Message

Harvest Time for whom?

President_GalatThe leaves are falling and the days are shorter. The time to harvest is here. In the scriptures it is mentioned that "one should not harvest the entire crop. A good man will leave a perimeter for those who are in need." Even today, Farmers are known to harvest fields except for an edge left by the roadside for travelers and the poor.

Wall Street glorifies the greedy in reports of bonuses and severance packages. Some traders harvest all they can get out of the na�ve investor. But on Main Street the glory is seldom bestowed on those working the roadsides as Policemen, Fireman, Teachers or Emergency Rescue Responders.

American Youth Football contributes to the annual harvest of young athletes being molded into teams in High Schools, Universities, and the National Football League.  Hundreds of thousands of fans never realize that the most critical stage of development for athletes is at the youth level. Not much of the harvest is left for grass roots folks. Do not be discouraged.
Shakespeare said "act well your part for there all the honor lies".  

Hundreds of thousands of youth players share the values learned by playing football. American Youth Football continues to recognize the many great leaders dedicated to providing for youth. Along the sidelines are also great volunteers, coaches, team moms, concession workers, parents who drive their sons and daughters to practice, prepare late suppers, and give their sons and daughters emotional support.  Take comfort in knowing your child is learning life social skills, and a solid work ethic.

AYF's mantra is "it's about the kids". AYF's motto is "complete the circle of giving back". I challenge all American Youth Football players and Cheerleaders to set and achieve their goals in the classroom, on the field, and in community projects. I would like to challenge all American Youth Football Coaches and Administrators to monitor the classroom and community goals with the same sense of urgency as the score of the game itself. In the long run developing community leaders will bring more rewards than producing a harvest of Pro Football Players.
 
Quote of the Month

Excerpt from an Article by Petula Dvorak in the Washington Post. Tuesday September 8, 2009.

Should I just Bubble-Wrap My Tiny Athletes?
For years, they endured the crazy multicultural, many-hued mania, the global lovefest of that darn round ball.
"Soccer," spat one football coach, through gritted teeth. "You can teach all the fundamentals of that . . . sport, as they call it, in five minutes."
In their double-knit shorts and windbreakers, youth football coaches stomped the sidelines and ordered extra sets of up-downs to the shoulder-padded kids who were the true believers, faithful to football, not futbol.
They watched in disgust as soccer claimed Reston and Rockville, Columbia and Crofton; in disdain as Mia Hamm rocketed from the Fairfax County soccer fields onto the cover of Sports Illustrated and as a $14 million SoccerPlex was erected in Montgomery County; and in disbelief as the most American of icons -- Mom -- became a political voting bloc known as "soccer moms."
That one really hurt.
"But the pendulum is swinging back. It's coming back to football," declared Joe Galat, president of American Youth Football & Cheer, who introduced himself to me as "Mighty Joe." "Maybe it's the macho thing. Macho may be coming back a little. Guys like to really get out there and butt heads."
I want my sons to be soccer boys. But I know they love to butt heads. Turns out a lot of folks think that's just swell.
Across the country, football is seeing its biggest growth in its youngest divisions. They're known in various regions as peewees, midgets, flyweights, mosquitoes, mighty mites, tiny mites, and other adorable little terms that seem completely incongruous with the words most moms think of when it comes to football: tackling, blocking and sacking.
 
Field of Dreams Projects Succeed Through Team Effort

If your community is interested in forming a committee for the improvement of your fields- email your name, address (no PO boxes), phone number and the name of the field to JGalat@fieldturf.com
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New Groups for AYF Parents, Coaches and Administrators!
Everyone is welcome!

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Shop Exclusive AYF Apparel
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National Sponsors

Under Armour
Universal Cheerleaders Association
National Football League
Riddell
Sadler Sports Insurance
Wilson
Eastbay
Varsity/CDT Uniforms
Fieldturf
Citibank
Shutterfly
Trick It Out Sports

Need help finding what you need from an AYF Sponsor? Contact our Communications Team!
Email: Kristin or Elizabeth

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About AYF

American Youth Football (AYF) the largest youth football organization in the U.S. provides support services, academic scholarships, grants, "Giving Back" programs and tournaments to more than 600,000 youth members. AYF is the only youth football program with members in all 50 states and several countries worldwide. Committed to Giving Back, AYF has donated more than $14 million dollars in grants and product to communities that support youth football.

AYF offers all-inclusive football and cheer divisions to every team and league, enabling every child a place to play and Age/Weight and Grade-Based Age Protected Divisions make AYF the most competitive youth football organization in the World. On a mission for all-inclusiveness, AYF invites independent youth football & cheer programs to join under its 'local' membership structure so all leagues may have the benefit of AYFs services without threat of imposition in the leagues local governance.