The youth football community hub is where football coaches, parents and athletes post pics, photos and videos, share youth football news, and start discussions. It’s also where Weplay highlights youth football teams and youth football drills.
  • Youth Football - Get set for the Season
  • Youth Football - Manning Passing Academy
  • Youth Football - Alexander's Greats
  • Youth Football - Leading The Way
  • Youth Football - Pop Warner's Rolling
Youth Football - Get set for the Season

Get set for the Season

Get back into football season with Football Skills & Drills. Complete with tutorials, drills and plays for all positions and levels.

Youth Football - Manning Passing Academy

Manning Passing Academy

Peyton Manning and family are gearing up for their annual Passing Academy!

Have you checked it out?

Youth Football - Alexander's Greats

Alexander's Greats

NFL MVP Shaun Alexander paid a visit to Weplay winners, the West Valley Tiny Mite Falcons and was a HUGE hit!

Youth Football - Leading The Way

Leading The Way

Great coaches stick by you all season.

Give a little thanks and nominate your coach for Weplay Coach of the Week!

Youth Football - Pop Warner's Rolling

Pop Warner's Rolling

Pop Warner Football and Cheer and Dance teams are getting an early start with summer practice.

The season will be here before you know it!

Football News

  • Austin Morgan

    sign ups

    Posted July 03, 2009 by Austin Morgan in carlson huskies heavyweight 2009
    people who wanted to play had to sign up .
  • Michael & Tanya Bryant (Head Coach & Team Mom)

    BE ON THE TRACK TODAY @ 6:45(BRING CLEATS ALSO)

    WE WILL RUN ON THE TRACK TODAY @ 6:45 PM.  AFTER WE RUN WE WILL DO 15 MIN ON THE FIELD, SO BRING YOUR CLEATS ALSO.                                  (CLEATS ONLY NO UNIFORMS / HELMETS)
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  • Mark Horton

    LYFAA & Parents Meeting

    Posted July 02, 2009 by Mark Horton in LAKEWOOD COUGARS PEE WEE's
    July 20th 5:30 -7:00pm
    LYFAA & Parents Meeting. Come meet you coach, ask your questions, receive a wealth of information about the coming season.

    Also the Kids can attend the LHS Fooball camp Hosted Varsity Coach Dan Teeter & Staff!
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  • Dan Peterson

    The Dangers Of Heat Stroke In Sports

    Posted July 01, 2009 by Dan Peterson

    Back in January, first-year Kentucky high school football coach David Jason Stinson pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless homicide in the death of Max Gilpin, a 15-year-old offensive lineman. Gilpin collapsed last August while running sprints with the team on a day when the heat index reached 94 degrees.

    Stinson pleaded the fifth amendment and did not answer questions in the civil court case against him, while his criminal case is pending.  The case could signal a landmark shift in the expectation for how coaches deal with struggling players on a hot day.

    Gilpin's body temperature was 107 degrees when he reached the hospital and he died three days later from heat stroke. The risks of heat-related diseases to athletes, both young and old, are always present but the warning signs are often hidden.

    Since 1995, 33 football players have died from heat stroke, according to an annual report from the University of North Carolina. Frederick O. Mueller, professor of exercise and sports science at UNC and the author of the report, calls the figure unacceptable.

    "There's no excuse for any number of heat stroke deaths, since they are all preventable with the proper precautions," Mueller said.

    Wake-up call

    The wake-up call has been delivered to all coaches. They must be able to recognize a struggling player and resist the assumption that they're just being lazy. Dave Stengel, the prosecuting attorney in the Stinson case, described the coach's responsibility: "This is not about football. This is not about coaches," he said. "It's about a trained adult who was in charge of the health and welfare of a child."

    Heat stroke is the most serious of the four levels of heat illness. Progressing from dehydration to heat cramps to heat exhaustion without intervention may lead to heat stroke where the core body temperature exceeds 104 degrees.

    Since the common symptoms (nausea, incoherence, fatigue, weakness, vomiting, muscle cramps) of heat exhaustion and heat stroke are similar, it can be hard to tell when a player has crossed that dangerous line. That is why most medical professionals recommend a proactive approach to playing in the heat. Slow acclimation to the heat over several days, planned and regular water breaks, and reduced activity when the heat index rises will help prevent problems.

    The National Athletic Trainers Association has published guidelines for parents and coaches to follow.

    What happens

    In a 2008 study, researchers explored the complex interactions in the human body when subjected to high heat and high levels of physical activity. José Gonzlez-Alonso, Professor of Sport and Exercise Physiology at Brunel University, and his team looked at the competing demands for blood flow that heat and exercise cause and the physiological breakdown that eventually occurs.

    Our bodies actually gain heat from both the environment and our own muscle movement. When the air temperature is greater than our skin temperature, heat will be transferred into our body. When we exercise, our contracting muscles also produce heat. In fact, about 75 percent of the energy expended is lost to heat rather than power.

    To cool ourselves down, two processes must take place: increased blood flow to the skin, and sweating.

    The evaporation of sweat to the air pulls heat away from the body. One kilogram of sweat evaporated from the skin will remove 580 kilocalories of heat from the body. If fluids are not replenished by drinking water, the sweating process slows down and the core body temperature rises.

    Effects on body and brain

    When running sprints on a football field in the heat, a player's heart needs to do double-duty; pumping blood to his muscles and to the skin. Gonzlez-Alonso found that the heart will serve the metabolic demands of the muscles first, allowing the skin blood flow to diminish, which raises body temperature.  The study also found that fatigue is not a result of tired muscles, but rather from an increase in brain temperature.

    As a safety valve, the brain sends signals of fatigue that lower our drive to keep going. If forced to continue by an over demanding coach, the downward spiral will continue. If the player does collapse, immediate attention is the key to survival.

    "If you cool someone right away, on site, they don't die - period," said Dr. Doug Casa of the University of Connecticut and a national leader in heat-stroke prevention. "The key to surviving heat stroke is getting your temperature (down) to approximately 104 in about 20 minutes."

    Please visit my other sports science articles at Sports Are 80 Percent Mental and LiveScience.com

    Close
More News

Football’s Best of the Web

  • Drills, Tips and Resources

    • PopWarner.com - The official website for the largest youth football organization in the U.S. with local league information for players, parents, coaches and league admins.
    • PlaySportsTV - Great "how to" video tutorials for kids, covering everything from tacking and passing to equiment and sportsmanship.
    • Oskie.com - Football drills to enhance agility, quickness and skill in youth football and categorized by position.
    • Syskos.com - A great website for the best instructional books and DVDs for football coaches.
    • USA Football - Useful site for admins, coaches, officials and player with lots of resources for all, including access to animated playbook, drills, and practice plans for about $25 membership.
    • ChampionshipProductions.com - Over 2,100 instructional sports DVDs for player & team improvement. Coaches & athletes can start getting better today.
  • Blogs

  • For Coaches

    • FootballScoop.Com - Great site for coaches, with job listings, playbooks, training tips and weekly announcements.
    • Jerry Campbell Football - Jerry Campbell is a nationally renowned coach, author and clinic speaker and his site covers a variety of topics for coaches, players and fans.
    • Football-tutorials.com - Pre-planned football drills & practice plans - great for busy coaches.
    • CoachTeed.com - Football coaches' playbook exchange and a "Basics" section for new coaches.
    • Double Wing Football Forum - Specialty forum and site for Youth, High School, College and Professional Coaches.
    • Football Help Desk - Resource center for youth football coaches focusing on fundamentals and basics.
    • PositiveCoach.org - Workshops, blogs, advice and other resources for coaches and sports parents.
  • Camps, Clinics and Tournaments

    • Offense-Defense - One of the premier camps offered nationally, featuring top NFL stars working with the youth football market.
    • FootballCamps.com - A comprehensive list of the best football camps in the United States, including NFL players' camps.
    • KidsCamps.com - Search for the top youth football camp in your area or around the country.
    • Contact Football camps - Named "Top Football Camp" in SI for Kids, the Contact Football Camps take place all over the U.S.

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