History
FAQ
| Frequently Asked Questions |
Check this page for quick answers you may have regarding football in general, Pop Warner
Rules or just to understand better about the way the Panther's work.
I. General questions asked about football.
1. Q: At what age should kids start playing football?
A: There are many different opinions about this. People tend to fall into one of two schools
of thought. They believe their child should start something as early as possible, so that they
do not fall behind their peers. Others believe that the contact and physical demands of
football are factors that lead to a higher risk of injury and try to hold their child out until
somewhere between the 6th grade and their Freshman year in High School. The Panthers
have tackle teams available to children from the age of 5 years old up to 14 years old.
Because we play Pop Warner, most of our divisions are age and weight regulated. This
allows kids to learn the game against other children of similar build, age and experience. We
believe these factors result in the safest possible environment to introduce kids to the game.
The best answer we can give to this question, is that we strongly suggest you do not try to
start your child in tackle football unless they say they are ready and prepared for the
physical nature of the game. A child signed up because mom and dad want them to play or
just because a couple of friends are ready, is more likely to have a bad experience and
maybe give up on the sport before they have really given it a chance.
2. Q: Why don't you have a flag program for beginners?
A: We used to provide a flag program for children under 8 years old. As the game has
progressed and demands form the public changed, we made some adjustments. Flag can
be fun and a decent way to learn some parts of the game. For most however flag was not a
sport that attracted much attention or held kids interest for very long. The biggest problem
we found with flag is that a typical flag team has a couple of really fast kids, maybe a kid that
can throw and one or two kids that can catch. Those players see all of the action in flag. The
games tend to turn into, let's see how many times our fastest kid can outrun your fastest kid
and the rest of the participants end up as spectators or get board with the game. In tackle
every child can learn a skill that allows them to help the team. You don't have to be the
fastest kid to learn to block or tackle. You have to have desire and be teachable. With those
two attributes you can learn to help your team and be a valuable contributor. That's why we
start tackle with 5 and 6 year old, 8 man football. All the kids participate and learn the skills
that will help them as they get older.
3. Q: My child is a great athlete, shouldn't he be on a team that has tryouts?
A: That way of thinking probably works in many sports. Baseball, basketball and soccer are
a few that have very specific skill sets. It is easy to bring a lot of kids together in a short
period of time and run them through basics to see who has those skills. The same things
that take place in those tryouts are what will be expected of them in games. How does that
relate to football? It doesn't really. In t-shirts and shorts, kids can look fast running straight
up and down for a short distance. Who can lower their shoulder and run through another
person? When is the last time you saw a play in a football game that required all of the
players to run a lap? There is a huge difference between throwing and catching a ball with
and without pads on. Then of course there is the slightly important task of blocking and
tackling. Hitting sleds and dummies is fun, they don't hit back, players don't have to run fast
or even be real big and strong to do those things, You can't measure those abilities in
shorts and t-shirts. If it seems "exclusive" or somehow important to "try out" then we might
not be the place for you. If you understand that competitiveness is not measured by how you
got on a team, but by the level of the competition you face and work required to continually
improve and achieve goals as a team then we would love to have you.
4. Q: We are new to the area, or our family always takes vacation in August, When
is it too late to sign up?
A: There are many factors that can affect this decision. Experience, athleticism, work ethic,
etc. all go a long way when it comes to making up for lost time. Football does have specific
rules that must be taken into account. Every participant is required to complete 10 hours of
practice without pads, for conditioning purposes. Additionally each participant must then
have 20 hours of contact practices, meaning in pads to be eligible to participate in game
action. SO for the 2012 season if your child has not started practicing in pads by 8/14 they
would not have enough practice hours in to qualify for the first game.
5. Q: It seems that football is an awfully big commitment on my families time. Most
other sports practice once or twice a week. Why are there so many practices and
how important is it to be at all of them?
A: In addition to the requirements listed above, football is a very complex game. Getting 11
players all performing their individual tasks in a unified way and learning all of the different
skills, plays and responsibilities is time consuming and critical to team success. Injuries are
far more likely when players are not in physical or mental condition to perform. Repetition
and practicing as a unit is the only way to assure that everyone is doing what they are
supposed to on any given play. SO, yes the time required for families and players is
probably greater in football than other sports and yes it is necessary .
II. Questions specific to Pop Warner Football
1. Q: What exactly is Pop Warner football?
A: Pop Warner is the oldest and largest youth football program in the world. It provides
divisions that split children by age and weight. This allows children to move up through the
system or stay at a level that allows them the best opportunity to play and succeed. It is a
National program with a playoff system in place that allows kids to play with other kids in their
school district against teams of players from other schools districts. Teams that win their
league from the Jr PeeWee level up can then move on to compete in Regional and a
National playoff system that allows them to play against teams from all over the country. Pop
Warner also has a little scholars program that rewards kids who make good grades by
recognizing their achievements in the classroom with yearly awards and the potential to earn
scholarships towards their college education.
2. Q: How does the weight controlled part of Pop Warner work?
A: Divisions are set up so that kids that are 2-3 years apart in age, but weigh within 45-50
pounds of each other compete against each other. This maintains competitive balance and
allows players the best opportunity to play and get better. You can check the team info
section of this site to see a breakdown of division ages and weights.
3. Q: It looks like my child based on his age and weight could play in two or three
different divisions, how do I decide where to put him?
A: The best way to do this is to place your child at the lowest level they qualify for. This
allows them the greatest chance of success and a greater certainty that they will enjoy their
football experience. The biggest mistake parents and players make is to put their child on a
team just because they have friends on that team. Friends are great, but why make one
child that weighs 75 pounds and is 10 years old on a PeeWee team, in a division filled with
teams of kids that weigh 115-120 pounds and can be 11 or 12 years old, when they could
play Jr. PeeWee, be among the oldest in the division and never have to go against anyone
over 105 pounds? Friends are fun in school, it's not fun if they are getting all of the playing
time on game day while your child struggles with the game, besides they'll make new friends
on the team they play on.
4. Q: What are the rules on practice times and days?
A: Pop Warner is very clear on this. Practice can not start until August 1st. Until school starts
a team can practice 5 nights a week, not to exceed 10 hours of practice. Once school starts,
the maximum practice schedule is not to exceed three nights or 6 hours a week. This is in
large part due to Pop Warner's emphasis on maintaining good grades and the focus of their
Little Scholars program.
5. Q: There seems to be a lot of paperwork required for Pop Warner, why is this?
A: There are a couple of factors here. The first is that the safety and football playing
experience of your child is the primary concern of Pop Warner. Because of this we go to
great lengths to assure that every child is placed in the proper division and that all children
in a division are healthy and of the proper age and size to create balance and competition.
Additionally as a national organization with a nation wide playoff structure it is important to
eliminate the opportunity and temptation to bend the rules to gain a competitive advantage.
The focus of Pop Warner is to foster and increase the love of the game of football in the
youth of today. It is not the focus to win at all costs and build teams that become dynasties
for their coaches. Because of this teams must all adhere to the same rules and receive
certification that all of their players and coaches are who they say they are and meet the
criteria of the divisions they participate in.
III. Questions specific to the Panthers
1. Q: When and where do the Panthers practice?
A: The Panthers practice at Tiffany Springs Park which is located at 8901 NW Hampton
Road, Kansas City MO 64153. Practice begins every year on August 1st and the season
runs through the end of October. Most years the league championship is played the first
weekend in November with winners advancing on to sectional and regional playoff
opportunities. In August practice runs 5 nights a week and when school starts that is
reduced to three nights a week. The times and specific nights can vary according to the
individual coaches schedule.
2. Q: When and where are the games played?
A: Games are played on Saturday's beginning the weekend before Labor Day. Most of our
games are played at the Heart of America Complex in Independence. All players will play a
minimum of two games North of the river though, so there are games that are closer to give
more friends and family the opportunity to see your child play.
3. Q: Who will be my child's coach and how do you select coaches?
A: Coaches for each division are decided on a year by year basis. Most coaches are
volunteer parents. The Panthers do have a fair number of volunteer coaches who do not
have children on the team they coach, but typically the bulk of each coaching staff is made
up of parent volunteers. All coaches and volunteers listed on the roster have to pass a
certification test provided by the National Pop Warner Program. All volunteers must also
submit to a background check, to ensure that your child is in good hands. It is a National
rule that all coaches are considered dismissed at the end of every season. Coaches and
other volunteers must then submit their desire to coach the next season to the organization
and those choices are made on a case by case basis.
4. Q: My child played for a coach that he liked last year and we are comfortable with
that coach. I want him to play for that coach again, but the coach tells me he will be
coaching a different division, why can't my child play for that coach again?
A: Because Pop Warner is age and weight controlled, there can by a range of ages for the
players in any division. The coach may move up or stay down to be involved with the team
that their child plays on and you child may not qualify or would be better equipped to play in
a different division. We always encourage players to play where they can be most
successful, not where they can be on the same team as their best friend or favorite coach.
As stated above, there is a pretty exhaustive process that coaches must go through to be a
coach, so every coach for the Panthers should be someone that you and your family feel
comfortable playing for. Additionally it is our belief that part of the learning process of
athletics is to learn different strategies, terminologies and styles of play. Players that learn
the skill of adapting to these things at a young age, are better equipped to handle those
types of changes when they get older.
5. Q: I want my child to be ready to play in High School, do your teams get them
ready for that?
A: In a manner of speaking yes, but probably not in the way that question is meant. Our goal
is to get every child ready to play next year or at the next level. So no we are not trying to
get 9 year olds ready for High School. We are trying to get 9 year olds to where they can be
ready to compete as 10 year olds and so on. We work appropriate to the age and skill level
of the players. Kids mature at different rates, growth spurts, weight gain, coordination all
happen at different times for different kids. Let them enjoy the sport at each level. If they are
still playing in 8th grade, our 8th grade coaches will get them ready for High School.
6. Q: What does my child have to have to be ready to begin practice on August 1st
for the Panthers?
A: To participate in practice every child must have the following paperwork completed and
turned in to their teams business manager.
1. A copy of their state issued birth certificate
2. A completed registration form and registration fees paid for that season
3. A Physical dated since January 1st of the current calendar year
4. A copy of their 4th quarter report card from the previous school year.
Rules or just to understand better about the way the Panther's work.
I. General questions asked about football.
1. Q: At what age should kids start playing football?
A: There are many different opinions about this. People tend to fall into one of two schools
of thought. They believe their child should start something as early as possible, so that they
do not fall behind their peers. Others believe that the contact and physical demands of
football are factors that lead to a higher risk of injury and try to hold their child out until
somewhere between the 6th grade and their Freshman year in High School. The Panthers
have tackle teams available to children from the age of 5 years old up to 14 years old.
Because we play Pop Warner, most of our divisions are age and weight regulated. This
allows kids to learn the game against other children of similar build, age and experience. We
believe these factors result in the safest possible environment to introduce kids to the game.
The best answer we can give to this question, is that we strongly suggest you do not try to
start your child in tackle football unless they say they are ready and prepared for the
physical nature of the game. A child signed up because mom and dad want them to play or
just because a couple of friends are ready, is more likely to have a bad experience and
maybe give up on the sport before they have really given it a chance.
2. Q: Why don't you have a flag program for beginners?
A: We used to provide a flag program for children under 8 years old. As the game has
progressed and demands form the public changed, we made some adjustments. Flag can
be fun and a decent way to learn some parts of the game. For most however flag was not a
sport that attracted much attention or held kids interest for very long. The biggest problem
we found with flag is that a typical flag team has a couple of really fast kids, maybe a kid that
can throw and one or two kids that can catch. Those players see all of the action in flag. The
games tend to turn into, let's see how many times our fastest kid can outrun your fastest kid
and the rest of the participants end up as spectators or get board with the game. In tackle
every child can learn a skill that allows them to help the team. You don't have to be the
fastest kid to learn to block or tackle. You have to have desire and be teachable. With those
two attributes you can learn to help your team and be a valuable contributor. That's why we
start tackle with 5 and 6 year old, 8 man football. All the kids participate and learn the skills
that will help them as they get older.
3. Q: My child is a great athlete, shouldn't he be on a team that has tryouts?
A: That way of thinking probably works in many sports. Baseball, basketball and soccer are
a few that have very specific skill sets. It is easy to bring a lot of kids together in a short
period of time and run them through basics to see who has those skills. The same things
that take place in those tryouts are what will be expected of them in games. How does that
relate to football? It doesn't really. In t-shirts and shorts, kids can look fast running straight
up and down for a short distance. Who can lower their shoulder and run through another
person? When is the last time you saw a play in a football game that required all of the
players to run a lap? There is a huge difference between throwing and catching a ball with
and without pads on. Then of course there is the slightly important task of blocking and
tackling. Hitting sleds and dummies is fun, they don't hit back, players don't have to run fast
or even be real big and strong to do those things, You can't measure those abilities in
shorts and t-shirts. If it seems "exclusive" or somehow important to "try out" then we might
not be the place for you. If you understand that competitiveness is not measured by how you
got on a team, but by the level of the competition you face and work required to continually
improve and achieve goals as a team then we would love to have you.
4. Q: We are new to the area, or our family always takes vacation in August, When
is it too late to sign up?
A: There are many factors that can affect this decision. Experience, athleticism, work ethic,
etc. all go a long way when it comes to making up for lost time. Football does have specific
rules that must be taken into account. Every participant is required to complete 10 hours of
practice without pads, for conditioning purposes. Additionally each participant must then
have 20 hours of contact practices, meaning in pads to be eligible to participate in game
action. SO for the 2012 season if your child has not started practicing in pads by 8/14 they
would not have enough practice hours in to qualify for the first game.
5. Q: It seems that football is an awfully big commitment on my families time. Most
other sports practice once or twice a week. Why are there so many practices and
how important is it to be at all of them?
A: In addition to the requirements listed above, football is a very complex game. Getting 11
players all performing their individual tasks in a unified way and learning all of the different
skills, plays and responsibilities is time consuming and critical to team success. Injuries are
far more likely when players are not in physical or mental condition to perform. Repetition
and practicing as a unit is the only way to assure that everyone is doing what they are
supposed to on any given play. SO, yes the time required for families and players is
probably greater in football than other sports and yes it is necessary .
II. Questions specific to Pop Warner Football
1. Q: What exactly is Pop Warner football?
A: Pop Warner is the oldest and largest youth football program in the world. It provides
divisions that split children by age and weight. This allows children to move up through the
system or stay at a level that allows them the best opportunity to play and succeed. It is a
National program with a playoff system in place that allows kids to play with other kids in their
school district against teams of players from other schools districts. Teams that win their
league from the Jr PeeWee level up can then move on to compete in Regional and a
National playoff system that allows them to play against teams from all over the country. Pop
Warner also has a little scholars program that rewards kids who make good grades by
recognizing their achievements in the classroom with yearly awards and the potential to earn
scholarships towards their college education.
2. Q: How does the weight controlled part of Pop Warner work?
A: Divisions are set up so that kids that are 2-3 years apart in age, but weigh within 45-50
pounds of each other compete against each other. This maintains competitive balance and
allows players the best opportunity to play and get better. You can check the team info
section of this site to see a breakdown of division ages and weights.
3. Q: It looks like my child based on his age and weight could play in two or three
different divisions, how do I decide where to put him?
A: The best way to do this is to place your child at the lowest level they qualify for. This
allows them the greatest chance of success and a greater certainty that they will enjoy their
football experience. The biggest mistake parents and players make is to put their child on a
team just because they have friends on that team. Friends are great, but why make one
child that weighs 75 pounds and is 10 years old on a PeeWee team, in a division filled with
teams of kids that weigh 115-120 pounds and can be 11 or 12 years old, when they could
play Jr. PeeWee, be among the oldest in the division and never have to go against anyone
over 105 pounds? Friends are fun in school, it's not fun if they are getting all of the playing
time on game day while your child struggles with the game, besides they'll make new friends
on the team they play on.
4. Q: What are the rules on practice times and days?
A: Pop Warner is very clear on this. Practice can not start until August 1st. Until school starts
a team can practice 5 nights a week, not to exceed 10 hours of practice. Once school starts,
the maximum practice schedule is not to exceed three nights or 6 hours a week. This is in
large part due to Pop Warner's emphasis on maintaining good grades and the focus of their
Little Scholars program.
5. Q: There seems to be a lot of paperwork required for Pop Warner, why is this?
A: There are a couple of factors here. The first is that the safety and football playing
experience of your child is the primary concern of Pop Warner. Because of this we go to
great lengths to assure that every child is placed in the proper division and that all children
in a division are healthy and of the proper age and size to create balance and competition.
Additionally as a national organization with a nation wide playoff structure it is important to
eliminate the opportunity and temptation to bend the rules to gain a competitive advantage.
The focus of Pop Warner is to foster and increase the love of the game of football in the
youth of today. It is not the focus to win at all costs and build teams that become dynasties
for their coaches. Because of this teams must all adhere to the same rules and receive
certification that all of their players and coaches are who they say they are and meet the
criteria of the divisions they participate in.
III. Questions specific to the Panthers
1. Q: When and where do the Panthers practice?
A: The Panthers practice at Tiffany Springs Park which is located at 8901 NW Hampton
Road, Kansas City MO 64153. Practice begins every year on August 1st and the season
runs through the end of October. Most years the league championship is played the first
weekend in November with winners advancing on to sectional and regional playoff
opportunities. In August practice runs 5 nights a week and when school starts that is
reduced to three nights a week. The times and specific nights can vary according to the
individual coaches schedule.
2. Q: When and where are the games played?
A: Games are played on Saturday's beginning the weekend before Labor Day. Most of our
games are played at the Heart of America Complex in Independence. All players will play a
minimum of two games North of the river though, so there are games that are closer to give
more friends and family the opportunity to see your child play.
3. Q: Who will be my child's coach and how do you select coaches?
A: Coaches for each division are decided on a year by year basis. Most coaches are
volunteer parents. The Panthers do have a fair number of volunteer coaches who do not
have children on the team they coach, but typically the bulk of each coaching staff is made
up of parent volunteers. All coaches and volunteers listed on the roster have to pass a
certification test provided by the National Pop Warner Program. All volunteers must also
submit to a background check, to ensure that your child is in good hands. It is a National
rule that all coaches are considered dismissed at the end of every season. Coaches and
other volunteers must then submit their desire to coach the next season to the organization
and those choices are made on a case by case basis.
4. Q: My child played for a coach that he liked last year and we are comfortable with
that coach. I want him to play for that coach again, but the coach tells me he will be
coaching a different division, why can't my child play for that coach again?
A: Because Pop Warner is age and weight controlled, there can by a range of ages for the
players in any division. The coach may move up or stay down to be involved with the team
that their child plays on and you child may not qualify or would be better equipped to play in
a different division. We always encourage players to play where they can be most
successful, not where they can be on the same team as their best friend or favorite coach.
As stated above, there is a pretty exhaustive process that coaches must go through to be a
coach, so every coach for the Panthers should be someone that you and your family feel
comfortable playing for. Additionally it is our belief that part of the learning process of
athletics is to learn different strategies, terminologies and styles of play. Players that learn
the skill of adapting to these things at a young age, are better equipped to handle those
types of changes when they get older.
5. Q: I want my child to be ready to play in High School, do your teams get them
ready for that?
A: In a manner of speaking yes, but probably not in the way that question is meant. Our goal
is to get every child ready to play next year or at the next level. So no we are not trying to
get 9 year olds ready for High School. We are trying to get 9 year olds to where they can be
ready to compete as 10 year olds and so on. We work appropriate to the age and skill level
of the players. Kids mature at different rates, growth spurts, weight gain, coordination all
happen at different times for different kids. Let them enjoy the sport at each level. If they are
still playing in 8th grade, our 8th grade coaches will get them ready for High School.
6. Q: What does my child have to have to be ready to begin practice on August 1st
for the Panthers?
A: To participate in practice every child must have the following paperwork completed and
turned in to their teams business manager.
1. A copy of their state issued birth certificate
2. A completed registration form and registration fees paid for that season
3. A Physical dated since January 1st of the current calendar year
4. A copy of their 4th quarter report card from the previous school year.
