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Upcoming Dates
8/1 -Post-season intent due
8/1- Team Contacts are due at MyAYF.com
8/9 - Monthly Football Conference Call
8/11 - Monthly Cheer Conference Call
8/28 - AYF and AYC Season Kick-off
8/31 - Assign Head Coaches in MYAYF
9/1 - DII Requests are due to AYF HQ
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'Like' Us on Facebook!
Join our fan community and be eligible for prizes and exclusive sponsor offers!
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Coaches make ALL the difference in the world. Get certified and $2 Million liability coverage at AYFCoaching.com |
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Safety is about the fit.
Football helmets and shoulder pads are most effective when athletes are wearing appropriately-sized equipment. A proper fit is essential. Make sure that you read the warning and proper care labels on your pads and helmets. Click here to view Riddell's proper fitting guide. |
| Body Talk
Pain is an indicator that something is wrong. If you have a serious collision or fall and pain gets worse, make sure you get it checked out. For injuries, remember 'RIE.' Rest, Ice (15-20min), Elevate
- John Andrawis
ActiveKidsToday.com
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AYF/AYC Staff
Click the name to e-mail Joe Galat President Jim TaftChairman of the Board Jessica Abramovich Executive Director Dee Grayer Football Commissioner Elizabeth Bray Cheer Director & Member Communications Arielle Krieger Director, Marketing Operations Craig Heitczman Director, Social & Marketing Communications Shannon Shy Director, New Membership Kristin Walker Director, Events Diedrea Willis Step Coordinator AYF Regional Reps New England - Rick Pelletier
Big East - Craig Karahuta
Atlantic - Mike Fairfax
Southeast - Orlando Gudes
Midwest - Mike Bell
Southwest - L.E. Chamberlain
Desert Pacific- Rikki Kinsfather
Mountain Northwest- Mike Piha |
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TAKE BACK THE FIELDS!
For more than 10 Years, AYF has been helping community programs get new state-of-the-art football fields. Developing More Places for our Youth to Play.
Do you have a Field Development project and need helpful resources, experience and financial support?
Contact Us Today!
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Wanna show your AYF Pride!?!
Get your Spirit gear here!
Start the new season off in style. You can now get your AYF flair: patches, helmet sticker and banners online!
Check it out and order today!
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An "Awarding" New AYF Partnership: Sports Awards  AYF's newest partner, Sports Awards will simplify your life when it comes to awarding your kids for all the great things they do. Our new webstore, www.AYFAwards.com, offers hundreds of football, cheer, coach and other stock choices - featuring unique options, exclusive to AYF and AYC. You can customize your awards and medallions with your own team or league logos.
Sports Awards works with you to meet your budgetary and delivery needs. Don't forget spirit and giveaway items - they are committed to help your organization so that your awards ceremony goes off without a hitch.
Click here to check out the website. AYF members can get free shipping on orders over $100. If you would like to see some samples for an upcoming board meeting or have any ordering questions, contact Jason Newtown, AYF/AYC Account Manager at 800-621-5803 x112 or jason.new@sportsawards.biz.
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MyAYF has the tools to make your life easier
- New Roster System
- New step by step presentation to get your Paperwork and Team Books in order
- Add your team contacts to your MyAYF profile to get the benefits or Full Membership.
- When hiring new coaches, personnel or volunteers, always run a background check. Better safe than sorry.
- When preparing for the new season, if you come across equipment or uniforms that you won't use this season, pass it along to an AYF who can use it.
Click here to find out more.
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The kids are developing, but WHAT ABOUT YOU?
No matter how long we have been coaching, we always have more to learn. With school just around the corner, take the time to take a course - Coaching the AYF/AYC Way.
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It is all about teamwork.
Here's the word on the street from AYFPlayers. com
How have your teammates helped you this season?
"I'm a quarterback. So I gotta give some props to my lineman. Without them, I wouldn't have thrown as much TD's as I did last year. Also, all of teammates have supported me 100%! They cheer me on when i have to make a big play. An they also encourage me when I'm down. Finally, they are great friends. I don't know what I'd do without friends like them!" ~Tyler
"My teammates help me out this season by the way they cheer for me to get through some of the challenging drills. Also, they help me practice so i can get better on my tackling and catching. My teams are the best and whenever i need help with something, they would stop what they are doing and help me with the things I need help with. Last, when I'm always in trouble, they always have my back. I love my teammates. They are my brothers and they treat me with a lot of respect." ~Deante
Get your players on ayfplayers.com, create your Player Membership Cards Now! |
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Updates from the AYC Technical Advisory Board
A wonderful new resource tool has been created by our experienced AYC Technical Advisory Board for your squads to use as a reference tool throughout the season. This supplement includes the following documents for your reference:
- AYC Coaches Camp Clinic Guide - This document helps to provide a list of some of the specific topics that should be covered for coaches in all AYC/UCA youth camps such as Safety, Stunting and Props Usage.
- Components of an AYC Competition Routine - This tool helps to guide your squads and focus on key components that the judges will be looking for.
- Regional Routine Review Form - We are providing squads the opportunity to ask our tech gurus any questions related to their competition routine that they are uncertain of. We want our athletes to score to the highest of their potential. This opportunity will provide your team an open review of your competition routine to make sure you are on the road to Nationals! All requests are due to the Technical Commettee by October 15th or three weeks prior to your event. Please e-mail your forms to AYCtech@americanyouthfootball.com.
- AYC Score Guidelines - This document is meant to guide and assist the competition judges of the AYC key components that our teams focus on in a competition routine.
- AYC Score Sheet - We have enhanced the AYC Score Sheet slightly. If you are still using the previous score sheet, that is fine. We have uploaded the enhanced version at MyAYF.
- You can download the AYC Supplement at MyAYF.
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Holler if you are a scholar baller!
AYF celebrates power. Encourage your kids to take part in the 'Scholar Baller' Essay contest. Essays should describe what it is like to be a student athlete and why school is so important. Participants will be recognized on a national level and have the chance to win prizes. For more details,
click here.
For other scholastic opportunities, visit AYF's Scholastics page
or MyAYF.
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Show Your Team Pride with a Customized Wilson Ball
Take your team s pirit to a new level of pride with these exclusive customized options from Wilson.
If you want to prepare for the post season, get your players accustomed to the Official Game Ball of AYF, from the first practice.
Click here for the order form or contact services@americanyouthfootball.com.
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Take advantage of summer vacation and fundraise!
 Get the Official AYF Coupon Book for your next fundraiser! Stand out from the competition with a fundraiser no one else has. It is completely customized for your team, with photo, name and logo. You earn at least $9 each. Plus there are no set up of shipping fees. It includes 40 valuable coupons, plus hundreds more online. Sign up today by calling 866-503-7053 or click here to get more info. |
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MyAYF
Has What You Need to Tackle your To Do List:
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Joe's Presidents Corner
Youth Organization Leadership - ART or SCIENCE?
O. K., AYF National offers your Association all that you need to be a successful coach or administrator of the kids in your program. The online course and many tips and articles sent to you is all you need, right? WRONG. The fundamentals, techniques, and procedures to conduct a successful Association has been spelled out on the Coaches Online Course and the MyAYF User Panel. But, like any program that involves people the challenge is to see beyond the science. An entertainer needs to feel the audience, as he performs, to be successful. A Doctor needs to know the individual before he can prescribe a successful remedy for an illness. When the Appollo space program began, "the dream" was a man in space - which motivated the country. Not many knew about rocket science, except for maybe Elton John!
What is your dream? The Academic Achievement Alliance, The Giving Back to Community, the quest for a National Championship. All of these dreams are more art than science. Sure there is a road map for all of this there in MyAYF Control Panel. BUT!
Michael Angelo said I see a statue when others see a block of rock. He knew what he wanted to sculpt and developed it with passion. Leonardo DeVinci started to paint on a blank canvas before the great portrait of Mona Lisa began to smile (Am I overdoing the Italian Connections?) What makes a good youth worker is the ability to see what that child can become.
Interestingly enough the "over active kid" is usually the one who can be molded into an Adult Success. No, I do not refer to success as becoming a future NFL player. I refer to success as that City Mayor who was a frisky kid until you had him in your program. Or how about the successs of that District Court Judge who first found her place when she joined the cheer squad. It is said that a child is a blank canvas. They are certainly not blank when they come to AYF.Most kids are not easy to sculpt or paint. It takes much patience to build a boy or girl into becoming contributing adults in their community. But I think of a child more like a Diamond, a rough, crude, not yet cut diamond. A child is like a diamond in the rough.
One of the most challenging crafts of all is that of the Diamond Cutter. One bad calculation and a priceless diamond is rendered worthless. The cuts must be made exactly in the correct position with the proper touch. Isn't that what we need to keep in mind when working with children? One negative comment, one gang recruiter, one bully may do irreparable damage to a young person. On the other hand sincere praise especially from an Adult may catapult the same child to achievements beyond expectations.
No Diamond Cutter will credit his success to only the science he studied for his craft. The skill of the art is more important. If you wish to use art in your youth work - look for that special word of encouragemnt or praise that truly lights up a youngster.
The burdens of hours away from home are hard on all of us.
Balancing our finances is a challenge each month. Most of us have to answer to a Grumpy Boss. But hey -you are an artist! Show the kids how to live life as a winner! If you feel your worth - you will do so much good in so many lives. The positive approach is more art than science. Realize perfection is elusive. The effort toward excellence should be recognized and rewarded with praise.
..and By The Way - your doing a great job!
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