Football practice for all levels has begun. Practice is held Monday through Friday, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Oriole Park, 5430 N. Olcott. (6U practices until 7 p.m.) There are still spots available on our 6U, 10U and 12U teams.  If your child is interested in signing up  please contact us at oriolepyfa@aol.com.

First and foremost to us is your child's safety and health, and our program has a COVID-19 plan that we will be following to the best of our abilities. There are many things we will need to do on our end, such as taking everyone's temperature as they arrive for practice; and there are some things you will need to do on your end, like making sure your child does not attend practice if they feel ill, have a fever, or may have been in recent contact with someone who has the virus. We all need to make an effort and work together if we want to minimize the risks of anyone (coaches, players, team moms, etc.), of getting infected. That being said, here is list of what your player will need to bring and wear to practice:

Paperwork:

*This includes all of the 2020 Registration and other forms that are available to download under the 2020 Forms link that you'll see at the left-hand side of this page. All forms need to be filled out completely and signed or initialed where indicated by both the parent and participant. Parents may sign for their child if they are too young to do so themselves.

*2020 Covid-19 Waiver must be signed and dated and handed in before your child will be allowed to step on the practice field. Each child in the program must have his own waiver. 

*Copy of child's birth certificate. This is only for players that are new to our program this year, or any players that were on our 12U team last year. Please make sure the copy you hand in is clear and easy to read.

*2020 Medical Clearance Form - this must be signed, stamped and dated by your child's pediatrician, family doctor, or other qualified medical professional licensed in the State of Illinois.

Gear:

For the first week of practice or until further notice, your child should wear shorts, t-shirt, supporter and cup, and their football cleats to practice. If they don't have their cleats yet, then have them wear gym shoes. They will also need to bring a face mask. The first week of practice will consist of conditioning and other non-contact drills. All players will need to complete a minimum of 10 hours (one week) of conditioning before they will be allowed to do any kind of contact.

Other items your child will need to bring:

Water bottles or other container with their name clearly noted on them. Please have them bring a sufficient amount of water (or sports drink such as Gatorade), for the two hours of practice. There will be frequent water breaks and players need to keep hydrated. It is also a good idea to have them drink water throughout the day to ensure they are sufficiently hydrated when they get to practice.

Hand sanitizer labeled with their name: The CDC recommends one that contains at least 60% alcohol to properly disinfect and prevent the spread of germs.

Face Mask: Every child should bring their own face mask to wear when needed. We suggest you put this in a plastic bag or some other kind of protective container that your child can easily access and store so it doesn't get dirty when he is not wearing it.

For other suggested items, please see the Parent Prep Kit list which can be found on the following link: https://assets.usafootball.com/documents/return-to-youth-football/RTP20-PhaseII-Parent-Prep-Kit.pdf

We do need to inform everyone that because the park closes at 5 p.m. there will not be any access to the field house and bathrooms. So please keep this in mind and have your child plan accordingly.

When your child arrives at practice, we will have parents and coaches available to help them find their team. Currently, we have enough players to field a 6U, 10U, 12U and 8th grade team. For the time being, all 8, 9 and 10 year olds will be our our 10U team and all 11 and 12 year olds will be on the 12U team. If/when we get enough players signed up we will go ahead and split these teams into a separate 9U, 10U and 11U,12U, The 8th grade is full and we have started a wait list. Once they get to their designated practice area, either the team mom or one of the coaches will take your child's temperature with a non-contact thermometer and will record it on a daily log sheet. They will also collect any paperwork your child has to turn in.

We are encouraging parents that will be staying to watch practice to stay far away from the practice area, to social distance and also wear a face mask. At no time should a parent or any other family member come into the immediate practice area or close to any of the players. After practice (which ends at 7:30 p.m.), players will be told to go directly to their parent or whoever is taking them home and not to interact with others. If possible, your child should meet you at your car or other designated spot rather than you meeting them near the practice area. Players also need to stay away from other team's practices.

For now, the above information should get us through the first week of practice. Additional safety measures will be sent out once we move on to contact drills and beyond.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us by email at oriolepyfa@aol.com. At this time, communicating via email, phone, or text, rather than in person is preferred. You will also be receiving a list of contact names and numbers from your child's team mom(s) in the near future.

Your 2020 OPYFA Football Board, Coaches and Team Moms