About LEDUC & DISTRICT MINOR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (LDMFA)

Cat Team Philosophy

The football program will at all times be based upon the following principles:

The purpose of the Association will be the enjoyment of the game by the participants.
The program is designed to emphasize the development of football skills and sportsmanship by all players, parents and coaches.
It is of the utmost importance that the SAFETY of all individuals, at all times, be a priority.

Who Can Play?

The sport is open to all boys and girls at all levels. There are no weight or height restrictions at any level.

U9: 6 - 8 year olds as of the end of the current calendar year (December 31st).
U11: 9 - 10 years of age as of December 31st.
U13: 11 - 12 years of age as of December 31st.
U16: 13, 14 & 15 years as of December 31st, provided the player is not going to be in Grade 10 in the calendar year.
U19: Students who are currently in grades 9-11 and between the ages of 14-17.
Female Tackle: LDMFA offers a U16 & U19 program in the spring.

The Season

Specific schedules and locations for practices and games will be distributed by the Team Director or other designated person when information is available.

Spring/Fall - U11, U13 and U16 Football: May or June spring camp practices are determined by the indvidual team's coach. Regular season play traditionally begins August 1st, continuing until mid-October, followed by league playoffs. Up to 6 practices may be run during the month of July, without equipment. This is depedendent on each Division coaches preferences. League champions for U13 and U16 progress to provincial playoffs in November. Regular season games are played in various locations in the Capital District Minor Football Association (CDMFA).

Fall - U9 Flag Football: Regular season play begins August, continuing until the last weekend in October. Players will practice one-two days per week at home and have games on weekends in various locations within the CDMFA.

Equipment

All players registered with the Leduc & District Minor Football Association are provided with all the equipment necessary for the season with exception of footwear (all levels), girdle and knee pads (U13, U16, U19). Equipment will be handed out at the equipment building prior to the first practice and must be returned no later than November 30 for the U11, U13 and U16 levels. The equipment issued to each player may be either new, used, or a combination of both depending on size. The new and used equipment is divided equally between all teams when possible. THE FIT IS IMPORTANT! A $600 Equipment Deposit is collected to ensure return of the borrowed equipment at the end of the season.

Equipment provided by LDMFA:

Helmet, shoulder pads, practice jersey, mouth guard, equipment bag, game jerseys & pants

IT IS EACH PLAYER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP THE EQUIPMENT IN GOOD ORDER. Before laundering...remove any removable pads from the pants (and girdle, if applicable). Wash equipment only in cold water (no bleach) and hang to dry.

Equipment required to be purchased separately:

Cleats*, girdle with hip, tail & thigh pads, shorts (preferably black), knee pads, water bottle

*All players playing in the Leduc & District Minor Football Association are required to wear appropriate cleat type footwear. It is each player’s responsibility to ensure she/he has the correct footwear. Consult with the Coach or Team Director as to the type of footwear one should be considering.

***NO METAL CLEATS OR FLAT TYPE FOOTWEAR ARE PERMITTED***

Helmets/Shoulder Pads: Players are encouraged to only use the equipment provided by the LDMFA, which is maintained and updated regularly! In order to maintain the integrity of the helmet, application of tape, stickers, writing, painting or the fixing of any type of object to the helmet IS NOT PERMITTED. LDMFA EQUIPMENT MAY NOT BE ALTERED IN ANY WAY! If a player chooses to wear certain required equipment not supplied by LDMFA, a waiver must be signed.

Optional Equipment: If a parent, trainer or coaching staff deem it necessary, neck rolls or other speciality equipment may be supplied. VISORS are not permitted (as per Football Canada).

Playing Time

It is the goal of the league & LDMFA to ensure that any player who shows an interest in playing the sport of football should be given the opportunity to do so.

LDMFA believes that playing time is to be “earned” through a combination of talent, attitude and attendance. Playing time is not simply given out because a registration fee has been paid.

LDMFA Playing Time Policy is:

All registered players will play in every game for which they have practiced, during both the regular season and playoffs.

The only exception to #1 is that Coaches must not play an athlete at any time the coach believes that playing exposes the athlete to undue risk of injury.

Within the confines of #1 and #2, the coaches have sole discretion to allocate playing time to each athlete (there is no expectation that every player will have equal playing time). The LDMFA does offer the following recommendations to coaches:

a. Take note that the league recommends [but does not require] that each player who fully commits to their team’s program in terms of full attendance at practices and positive attitude should play a minimum of eight on-field plays per game.

b. Attitude, as well as skill level, should affect the amount of playing time for each athlete.

c. Players who do not attend all practices in a week may be given less playing time. Throughout a practice week, several items are covered to prepare specifically for the coming opponent; therefore, those not in attendance will not have that experience and therefore, common sense dictates that the amount playing in the game would be affected.

d. Two-way play (having an athlete play both offence and defence in the same game) is strongly discouraged at the Atom and Peewee levels. Two-way play should be used cautiously at the Bantam level, balancing competitive and fair play.

The Executive

The affairs of Leduc & District Minor Football Association are managed by a volunteer board of directors (“The Executive”). The Executive consists of the: President, Vice President, Past-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Registrar, Registrar Assistant, Media and Communications Representative, Team Managers, Recruiter, (one for each team: U9, U11, U13 and U16, as well as an Executive Director if applicable), Events Coordinator, Events Assistant, CDMFA Representative, Fundraising Coordinator, Fundraising Assistant, Volunteer Coordinator, Executive Member(s) at Large and Equipment Manager. Executive members serve renewable one-year terms and are elected by the general membership of the LDMFA.

Members

All parents and legal guardians of players are “members” of the LDMFA for the entire calendar year for which their player is registered. Coaches are also “members” of the LDMFA.

Annual General Meeting

Leduc & District Minor Football Association holds the Annual General Meeting (AGM), as required under the terms of the By-Laws, in November of each year. All parents are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting. The AGM is open to the public, but only “members” can vote. The purpose of this meeting is to present a forum whereby parents and those interested may express their ideas and concerns regarding the current football season and the upcoming season. It allows them to:

Nominate and elect members to the Executive for the following calendar year.
Review a financial report for the operation of the Association.
Consider changes to bylaws.
Provide an opportunity for persons not previously involved in the Association to gain knowledge and become involved.

Board Meeting Minutes

Leduc & District Minor Football Association approved monthly board meeting minutes can be found here.

Bylaws and Policies

Leduc & District Minor Football Association Bylaws and Policies can be found here.