Dear parents,

We hope that you will consider the following before completing the survey sent home to Round Valley students Monday Sept. 9th. from a competing proposed FALL flag football group.

12 years ago, the Round Valley Youth Football League was established. And in those 12 years the Round Valley community has donated/ sponsored over $70,000 to support our football players. In cooperation with the Northern Arizona Youth Football League we have proudly traveled as far as Payson and Holbrook to participate in games so kids ages Kindergarten to 6th grade can learn team work, dedication and enjoy the game of contact football. While we understand the concerns of kids playing a contact sport, our experienced coaches are concussion trained. The RVYFBL also is proud to provide players brand new protective gear. Not even the high school football team has gear like we do. Our players are taught safe tackling and they go through conditioning before they are even allowed to put on a helmet. There have been more injuries to players off the filed at the skate park, on trampolines and regular rough housing than there is on the field. Many of our players have gone on to play middle and high school football well and without injury because of the training they receive and the dedication of our coaches.

The benefits of Youth Football also include positively effecting emotional and mental well being of our youth players. Our coaches encourage comradery and sportsmanship on and off the field. We have personally witnessed positive changes in youth that have been struggling at home and school turn around to become leaders and role models with their peers. The relationships built during the football season carries throughout the year.

Because our league is in cooperation with NAYFL we are required to have 3 full teams. This includes a full team of 11 Mighty Might’s which is ages Kindergarten to 2nd grade. If we do not have 3 full teams, none of our teams play. This will also include 2 full cheer teams of 25 cheerleaders. It is because of this we are asking for help from parents and family members of our league players to sign our petition to not establish a flag football league for the fall season. The League is not trying to keep kids from playing flag football. We just ask that it not be during the fall season which is the same time as contact football and soccer. In order to accommodate those kids that do want to play flag football, the RVYFBL is finalizing our own flag football league which will fall under our contact league. We will be open for registration the summer of 2020 in our off season May-July. We are willing to work with all other organized sports groups to ensure players can play multiple sports.