Topsail Junior Pirates football is committed to providing a safe environment for area youth to learn the fundamentals of football. Our participants are taught the concept of good sportsmanship, teamwork, and fair play. Pop Warner programs instill the fundamental values of teamwork, dedication, and a positive work ethic both on and off the field of play.

Positive Experiences:

• Everyone participates under mandatory rules of play.
• On-field coaching is allowed for younger age levels.
• Individual awards are given only for academic excellence, not for on-field activities.

Safe Playing Environment:

• Players are matched by age levels.
• There are strict mandatory equipment requirements.
• Pop Warner provides mandatory Coaching Clinics and Risk Management Training.
• An enforced national rule book incorporates time-tested rules.
• A full-time executive staff supports all local associations and assists in sound policy creation.

Practices:

• The season begins August 1st and generally runs through late October.
• Practice is held at Kiwanis Park in Hampstead.
• Teams practice up to 10 hours per week until school starts (typically Monday – Friday, Saturdays are
  occasionally used for make-up hours due to weather)
• Upon school start dates, practices drop to no more than six hours per week.
• On weeknights, practices will generally be held from 6-8pm, unless otherwise communicated from the Football Commissioner.
        • Tackle football players must complete 10 hours of conditioning before pads are worn.
• An additional 10 hours of conditioning with pads must be documented before the player can participate in   scrimmages or games.
• Practices and games are weather permitting. Should there be changes or cancellations, they will be posted on
          the website, the Facebook page and coaches will send out text messages to parents.
• Games are held on Saturdays, with the possibility of a weekday makeup game. This schedule comes directly from Coastal Pop Warner and is not provided to the individual organizations until mid-to-late August. As soon as the information is available, it will be shared with coaches, parents, and players.

The Executive Board and coaching staff of Topsail Junior Pirates football are ultimately focused on your child's safety. Because there is such value placed on the overall safety of our athletes, our registration expenses are set in a manner that ensures the program's ability to fund much needed safety equipment.

In addition to costs associated with safety equipment, the football organization's recurring expenses include but are not limited to:
--Insurance costs
--Equipment storage fees
--Coaching equipment
--Referee costs
--Post season fees
--First aid supplies
--Concession stand equipment
--Scholarships
--Home game field supplies
--Bi-annual expense to recondition all program helmets*
(*ensure player protection, sanitation, repairs and re-certification to prevent head injuries) 

The football registration fee includes the use of the following equipment, which must be turned in immediately following the last game of the season:
Certified helmet
Hard cup chin strap
Game day jerseys: home and away

Each participant will receive the following items to keep:
Game day socks
Pink game day socks (October pink out games)

The following items must be provided by the player:
Cleats (plastic only, no metal)
Cup
Practice pants with pads
Shoulder pads
Mouth piece with a strap that attaches to the helmet

Pop Warner football has been around since the inception of the league in 1929 by founder Joseph J. Tomlin as a four-team conference in Northeast Philadelphia. Since then, participation has steadily increased to today's record numbers. Over 250,000 youths participated in Pop Warner-sanctioned football programs in 2010, and those numbers are continuing to grow.

OVERVIEW: Pop Warner offers the opportunity for participants from 5 years of age to 14 years of age to play football in our leagues. We have non-competitive developmental divisions for those between the ages of five and six. They are Tiny Mite/Rookie Tackle/6U. In Tiny Mite/Rookie Tackle/6U competition, no score is kept. At the Mitey Mite/8U thru the JV/14U division, score is kept and there is potential for regional and national playoffs.

League champions are declared in each of the competitive divisions and the champions continue to play and represent their league in the Mid South Regional Playoffs. Mid South Regional Champions represent the region at the National Pop Warner Super Bowl played each December at the ESPN Wide World of Sports located at Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida.

The season begins on August 1st of each year. Teams generally play 7 to 9 regular season games in the months of August, September, and October. All Pop Warner Coaches are required to complete National and Regional Coaches Training. Competitive level teams with winning records at the end of each regular season are also allowed to participate in Region approved Post Season Bowl Games.

SAFETY FIRST: Did you know that Pop Warner football is safer than soccer? Pop Warner football has 12% fewer injuries per capita among 5-15 year olds than organized soccer in the same age range! (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, NEISS)

Kids compete with kids of similar age and size. Pop Warner enforces strict age guidelines to reduce the risk and reality of injuries at the National and Regional levels.

For the 2023 season, Pop Warner has established the following age-based guidelines:
* TJP will field the following age divisions*

WHY THERE ARE NO PERSONAL STATISTICS: Pop Warner exists to use football, cheer-leading, dance and a respect for education to develop strong, smart, responsible, healthy young men and women. We give them experiences that build their appreciation for and understanding of leadership, teamwork, and discipline.

While individual statistics may be more common, particularly among older football players, Pop Warner only recognizes the athletic accomplishments of the team, not the individual. We don't track personal tallies of touchdowns or yards rushing per game. We don't count sacks or blocked kicks. We applaud the athletic efforts of the team to reinforce the importance of teamwork, with each member.

We don't try to build stars. We don't want to over-inflate a young ego, nor do we want to risk injuring the self-esteem of a young person. Whether our kids have good days or bad, they are still an integral part of our team…and always will be.

In an effort to make sure all participants have a chance to play, Pop Warner has established a Minimum Play Requirement for each level of play. Players are required to play in a set number of active plays prior to the end of the third quarter of each game.