Garden Spot Midget Athletic Association
Football Parent Information Packet
Welcome to the 2016 Football Season. Our goal is for all of the GSMAA participants to enjoy a fun packed and safe
season. We are making every attempt to have the program run as smooth as possible. This packet is a quick reference
guide for parents – a kind of “frequently asked questions” guide. We recommend it is kept in an accessible place for the
entire season and hope you and your family find it useful.
Packet Topics:
• Who / What is GSMAA?
 Board of Directors
 Other Members
 Program Directors
 Coaches / Other Coordinators
 Parents and Participants
 Open Positions
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Program Funding
 Your Registration Fees
 Community Sponsorship
 Fundraisers / Concessions
•
Registration Forms
 Registration Form / Waiver
 Red Rose Contract
 Code of Conduct
•
Equipment
 Football
 Caring for your Uniform
•
Practice
 Football
 General Rules for Practice
•
Game Schedule
 Pre-season
 Season Game Schedule
 Special Dates
•
Schedule Changes / Inclement Weather
•
Rules of the Game
 Age and Weight Requirements
 Varsity and Jr Varsity
 Safety
 Spectator Conduct
 Volunteers
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Who / What is GSMAA?
GSMAA (Garden Spot Midget Athletic Association) is an organization that is solely managed and run by volunteers. The
organization was formed approximately 50 years ago and has administered a variety of sports over the years. Currently,
GSMAA has governance over the following programs:
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Garden Spot Midget Football (travel league)
Garden Spot Midget Cheerleading (travel league)
Elementary Basketball Girls & Boys (through grade 6 – no travel)
League Elementary Lacrosse Girls & Boys (through grade 8 – travel league)
Legion Baseball (travel league)
The GSMAA Board of Directors (looking to expand, interested talk to any Board member):
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Acting President – Carol Martin
Vice President Helmet Sports – Rob Shore
Vice President Non-Helmet Sports – Vacant Position
Member – Steve Martin
Secretary – Miki Boyer
Treasurer – Nancy Dykie
Health & Wellness Coach – Brittany Shore
The Board has overall supervision of all the programs running under the GSMAA umbrella. Specific programs are
headed by a Director, and in some cases, an Assistant Director or Administrative Assistant. In addition to Program
Directors, GSMAA relies heavily on other volunteer positions that cover the administrative items like advertising,
community sponsorship, wellness, fundraising, spirit wear, etc. The board is active 12 months a year and has governance
over all aspects of all sports in the program.
GSMAA is pleased to announce the Directors and Assistants for the 2016 Football season:
Football Director(s): Rob Shore [email protected]
Football Co- Director(s): Carol Martin [email protected]
Brittany Shore [email protected]
The football programs utilize a Team Mom and Head Coach structure for all communication between parents and the
program. Team Moms and Head Coaches are the first point of contact for parents with questions or concerns in the
program because they are the most accessible and specific to teams. Contact information for these volunteers will be
distributed before the first scrimmage.
Parents and players are also an important part of the GSMAA program. Thus, it is important to remember that we all
represent the program and are part of its success. All members (Board, Directors, Volunteers, Parents, and Players) are
expected to follow the GSMAA Code of Conduct at all GSMAA events and in all correspondence about the program.
An organization the size of GSMAA requires MANY volunteers for its success. Please contact a Board Member to learn
how you can volunteer.
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Program Funding
GSMAA makes every effort to have a fair and equitable distribution of funding. Funds generated by a program are used
specifically for the program that generated the funds. Community sponsorships that are specific to a sport are also used
to fund that sport. General donations are allocated across all sports.
GSMAA sets registration fees as low as possible. In many cases, registration fees are not adequate to fully fund the
program. Thus, the program relies heavily on donations, concessions, and fundraising to close the funding gap.
The 2016 Football gap will be closed with the following fundraising activities:
 Community Sponsors – we are currently seeking business sponsors who would like to advertise with us this
season. Please see your Director or a Board Member to make your donation.
 Concession Sales – Concession are running this season. The primary concession will be in the football stadium
during home games. All parents are required to volunteer at least 1 hour this season, and the concession stand
is a great place to fulfill that requirement.
Registration
The registration form includes the liability waiver and picture consent. The following three forms must be completed
and signed before a child will be allowed to participate in the program. There are no exceptions to this requirement.
 Registration form with waiver properly completed
 Red Rose Contract (football only with birth certificate)
 Code of Conduct
Equipment
Football Equipment
The team will supply the following items:
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Practice Uniform
Game Uniform
Helmet
All Required Pads
One Mouth Guard
Players must supply the following items:
 Additional Mouth Guard. We supply one standard mouth guard per player. If your son wears braces, you may
need to provide your own specialty mouth guard. For all players, it is not a bad idea to have an additional
mouth guard or two on hand for your son, as some of the boys (especially the younger ones) tend to chew on
them. Extra mouth guards can be purchased at any sporting goods store and Wal-Mart. If you do buy one, get
the kind with a strap that attaches to a helmet. It must be a color, not clear, any color is fine (officials need to
be able to easily see that the boys are wearing them.) Play is absolutely not permitted without a mouth guard.
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 Rib guard. Rib guards are not required in the league. Wearing them is at the discretion of each player (and /
or his parents). We do have a limited supply of rib guards which we will provide on a first come, first served
basis. Unfortunately, our supply of these pads is very limited so we cannot guarantee one to each player. They
can be purchased at sporting goods stores or online if you wish to purchase one for your son.
 Cleats. We do have quite a number of used cleats that have been donated - ask at the shed if you are
interested. Cleats with metal or removable spikes are prohibited in the league and cannot be used. Only
plastic molded cleats are permitted. Please see the Program Director if you are not sure which cleats to wear.
 Athletic Cup. The boys are required to wear an athletic cup. These can be purchased at any sporting goods store
or even Wal-Mart.
 Weather protection. Please remember it is cold later in the season. The players have little protection to keep
them warm. Long sleeve shirts and pantyhose are acceptable additions to the uniform when it is cold. If
possible, please stick to the school colors when adding items to the standard uniform.
Uniform Care
Instructions on how to care for uniforms will be distributed when uniform hand-out takes place. It is important that
uniforms are clean and cared for properly. Parents are responsible for and will be charged for any uniform that is not
returned timely, clean, complete, and in acceptable condition.
Practice
Football Practice
There will be four days of conditioning with no contact (no pads), August 8, 9, 10, 11 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm (Equipment will
be handed out this week)
Contact practice (in full pads) starts week of August 15th:
Week # 1: Aug 15 -16 – 17 - 18, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Week # 2: Aug 22 -23 – 24 – 25th, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Starting the first week of school Aug. 29th we will practice Monday, Tuesday & Thursday nights from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
No one will be allowed to participate in contact practice without the Red Rose Midget Player Contract signed by
physician and the GSMAA registration form being completed and signed by a parent.
General Rule for Practice
 All practices are at the school practice fields (behind the home side bleachers) unless otherwise announced.
 All players should bring a water bottle (filled) to all practices and games. Bottles should be clearly marked with
the child’s name.
 Coaches and Directors reserve the right to bench players for games when inappropriate conduct occurs at
practice or previous games. Inappropriate conduct includes not following the Code of Conduct as well as
missing practices, arriving late, not participating, etc. These are team sports which require all players to be
present.
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Game Schedule
Season Game Schedule
The varsity game schedule is organized by the Red Rose League. It is not uncommon for the schedule to arrive late in
pre-season due to late enrollment changes at the participating programs. Late registrations cause teams to enter and
exit the league schedule at the last minute. The schedule will be distributed as soon as it’s available.
We travel to games at other schools in the Red Rose league. We are in Section 2. Travel will be required to any of these
locations. Each week team moms will email specific instructions as to report times and where to find directions to away
games.
Home varsity games are played on the Garden Spot High School football field.
Varsity games are played on Sundays or Saturdays, in the afternoon to early evening timeframe. We will be distributing
the complete game schedule once practices begin.
The first regular season varsity game for 2016 will be the weekend of Sept 3 & 4. Since this is a Holiday weekend (Labor
Day) please notify your coach as soon as possible if you are unable to attend the first game of the season. For A, B, & C
teams, there could be playoff games following the regular season.
Special Dates
There are two dates to keep in mind that are events outside the game and practice schedules:
 Team Picture Night – Will be announced later
 Youth Night with the High School – Sept. 23rd
Please note that the Midget Football will not be participating in the New Holland Parade this year.
Schedule Changes / Inclement Weather
Program Directors and Coaches make every attempt to minimize disruptions to practice and game schedules. However,
sometimes it is unavoidable. Parents should check e-mail and text communications daily for schedule changes.
If the weather is questionable, parents are to remain at practice and games or make other arrangements for immediate
pick-up. Please remember that practices and games are held outside and little to no shelter is available if severe
weather is experienced.
Rules of the Game
Weight and Age Limits
Players are placed on teams based on age and weight limits. If it is likely your son will not make the weight limit for his
age group, he may play with the next older age bracket.
Weight limits for the 2016 season
a. D-Team 95 pounds maximum
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b. C-Team 115 pounds maximum
c. B-Team 140 pounds maximum
d. A-Team 160 pounds maximum
Weight increases: Added weight to A ,B and C levels during League game season in 1lb steps. Game 1 is
base weight / game 4 + 1lb./ game 8 + 1lb./ game 12 + 1lb.
Age limits
Each eligible player must be between the ages of 7 years old and 14 years of age as of September 1, 2013. "A" team :
no older than 14 years of age as of September 1. "B" team : no older than 12 years of age as of September 1. "C" team :
no older than 10 years of age as of September 1. "D" team at least 7 years of age as of September 1 and not turn 10
years of age before December 1. Proof of date of birth shall be determined by birth certificate or baptismal record
presented at the time of registration.
Nobody under 7 years of age will be permitted to play or practice in the Red Rose League.
D Team
C Team
B Team
A Team
7,8, 9 - first year players only / can only play one year on D team
8, 9, and 10
8, 9, 10, 11, & 12
10, 11, 12, 13, & 14
Varsity
The Red Rose League is a competitive league (a play to win league not a pay to play league). This means there is no
guaranteed play time for any player. However, at Garden Spot every effort is made to give all players fair treatment in
practice to build and polish skills for the season. While there is no guaranteed game time, at Garden Spot we make
every effort to give inexperienced players time on the field. The league has an 18 point rule which requires teams to
utilize second string players when the score differential is greater than 18 points in any game. Second, Garden Spot
utilizes the junior varsity roster system to gain more play time for less experienced players. If you have questions about
play time for your child, please discuss this first with your Head Coach and then the Program Director.
(If there is a chance of a JV team, the following rules apply)
Varsity players are typically more experienced and able to play first string plays. Garden Spot will attempt to form junior
varsity teams for Teams B & C. Your child may be assigned to varsity, junior varsity, or both. Where your child plays is
dependent on several factors including team size, skill level, player size, experience, etc. Varsity only players will
typically not participate in any JV games (unless the player status changes mid-year). If a player is assigned to both, he
will qualify, and is expected to be, present for both JV and V games. In some cases this player will play offense only,
defense only or perhaps both depending on how much time they receive at the varsity level. If you are designated for JV
only, you are required to attend all scheduled JV games. This is for the development of the younger, less experienced
players. The JV players will be mixed in with the JV/V players who do see a great deal of varsity time, but will play with
them at the JV level to fill out a competitive JV roster.
Safety
Football is contact sports and injuries will occur. It is inevitable. At GSMAA we make every effort to properly train the
volunteer staff on how to instruct safe technique and minimize injury to the extent possible realizing we cannot prevent
it. Our football programs use “Heads UP” as a guide and for training materials.
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In some cases a Coach or the Program Director may not allow a child play time if there is a concern about their ability to
play safely. Please discuss any concerns you have regarding safety with both the Head Coach and Program Director.
Spectator Conduct
All spectators are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct at all GSMAA events, and GSMAA can ask spectators to
leave if behavior is offensive, destructive, or dangerous.
All non-participating children are to be supervised at all times. Children should be kept from climbing on fences,
bleachers, sheds, and other parts of the facility where they are not supposed to be. Spectators, children included, are
not permitted to throw objects (balls included) inside the fenced areas of play.
Volunteers -IMPORTANT
Finally, GSMAA is run solely by volunteers. All volunteers should be thanked and respected for
their commitment to the program. Every family will be required to volunteer once in the
concession stand and we need volunteers to do chain gang for each game (great place to
watch the game from) and the press box. Please remember to take your turn and offer thanks
to those who willingly give their family time to serve you and your children. They love what
they do and find the experience very rewarding.
GO SPARTANS!
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