Football 2023

Practice

Team practices are typically Tuesdays & Thursdays from 6:00pm - 8:00pm, Saturdays from 10:00am - 12:00pm and Sundays from 1:00pm - 3:00pm.  Once games begin in late August, teams will typically only practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays.   Practice schedules will be posted and updated on the SportsPlus App.  Practice schedules may be adjusted at the discretion of your team’s head coach or in anticipation of an extreme weather event.  Please download the SportsPlus App, as explained in the Communications section below, after completing registration to stay up to date on all announcements or schedule changes.  The SportsPlus App will use the same log-in & password you used to register your athlete.

Practice is located at the Belleville Little Devils field, in Citizens Park.

Google Maps Link: https://goo.gl/maps/RH7CA6RLoaWbqPwr7.

Extreme weather events that may cause a practice to be rescheduled or cancelled are:

1)      Lightning within a 10-mile radius of the practice/game field.

2)      Heat index above 105° Fahrenheit.

 In the event of a weather cancelation an announcement will be posted through the SportsPlus App and posted on the Little Devils Facebook Page.

Parents are encouraged to stay at the park to watch practice.  The concession stand will be open for all practices.  PARENTS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE PRACTICE FIELD.  

If you want to be on the field, a volunteer coach application is required.   A parent can be an Assistant Coach for a team that their child plays on, but are not allowed to be the Head Coach of that team.  All volunteer coaches go through an application process overseen by Tracy Seibert, Director of Football Operations, and must be approved by the Little Devils Board of Directors.

PRACTICE ATTIRE

·         Practice weeks 1 ,2 & 3:  Helmet, mouthguard, cleats, shorts, and practice jersey with a t-shirt underneath

·         Practice weeks 4 & 5:  Same as previous practices, but add shoulder pads (dry-fit shirts are best to wear under shoulder pads)

·         Practice weeks 6 & 7 through end of the season: Full pads, including integrated pants with 7 pads.

Athletes are encouraged to bring their own water/sports drink, but there will be team water bottles (shared) as well as water and Gatorade bottles for sale at the concession stand.

Games

Tri-County will issue each team a game schedule that begins in mid to late August and lasts 9 weeks for the regular season. Each team will play one game per week on either a Saturday or Sunday, except for 12U (7th grade) who may play some games during the week.

PARENTS / SPECTATORS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE FIELD, unless serving in an official capacity such as an assistant coach or volunteers running the “chain gang”.  Having an unauthorized person on the playing field or sidelines will result in a fine from the Tri-County league to the Belleville Little Devils.  Please see the Parent’s Code of Conduct for additional information.

GAME ATTIRE

·         White jerseys are worn for away games.

·         Red jerseys are worn for home games.

·         Full pads, including integrated pants with 7 pads.

·         A mouthguard must be worn.

·         Football Cleats

GAME DAY WEIGH-INS

Players must weigh in prior to each game. Weigh in starts promptly 1 hour prior to game time.

•          A coach may request that the opposing team begin their weigh in process as soon as 60 minutes before the scheduled start time. Any player that is not present at the time of the weigh in request WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO PLAY UNTIL HALF TIME PER LEAGUE RULES. There are no exceptions to the rule.

•          Players must have their jersey and helmet at weigh in time.

•          Those weighing over the accepted weight limit for their age division must display a stripe on their helmet for that game. Players with a stripe are limited to the 5 lineman positions. A player’s stripe may be added or removed from game to game depending on weight. An increase will be added to the weight limit for that age division per league rules.

Teams

The Belleville Little Devils Football Program is open to all kids ages 5 to 14 years old, who will not be starting high school in the fall of 2023. Teams will be formed based on the ages of the athletes registered for the program.  The age groupings of all teams are based on the age of the athletes on September 1, 2023. 

The Belleville Little Devils will be fielding the following teams to compete in the 2023 season:

**If the Belleville Little Devils does not reach a minimum number of athletes to field a team age group, we reserve the right to combine the athletes with the team age group one year above. 

Equipment

The Belleville Little Devils will provide the following equipment to each athlete for the 2023 football season as part of the registration fees.  This equipment is expected to be returned to the club at the end of the season.  The primary increase in annual football registration fees is due to the cost of replacing equipment that is not returned at the end of each season. 

Here is the list of equipment provided and the associated charge to the parent or guardian if not returned:

The parent or guardian is responsible for providing the following equipment:

Communications

SportsPlus App

The main communication tool used by the Belleville Little Devils is the SportsPlus App.  This app is what you registered your athlete(s) through and will house the profile(s) for your athlete(s).  This App will be used by the organization as a whole and by your individual team(s) to communicate:

·         Practice and Game Schedules

·         Important Dates (i.e., Equipment issue & Turn-in Dates, Tri-County Weigh in, etc.)

·         Special Events (Fundraising, Parent Meetings, Award Ceremonies, etc.)

·         General Team and/or Club Announcements

This app also provides parents the opportunity to communicate directly to their coaches and other team parents through the Chat Function and direct messaging.

Please download the SportsPlus App after completing registration to stay up to date on any announcements or schedule changes.  The SportsPlus App will use the same log-in & password you used for registration.

Google Play Link:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mobile.thapos&hl=en_US&gl=US

or  

Apple App Store Link:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sportsplus/id1103693671

Facebook Page

We will also be making public announcements and posts on our Facebook Page. 

Please like and follow our page: https://www.facebook.com/BellevilleDevils.

  Payment & Refund Policy

Registration Fees & Payment

The registration fees for the 2023 football season are $225 per football player.  We are offering an Early Bird discount of $50 off the registration fee for athletes who are registered and fully paid by June 30, 2023.  Registration will close on August 17, 2023 and athletes who are not paid in full by August 19, 2023, will not be eligible to play in games until the registration fees are paid in full. 

Refund Policy

Refunds can be requested by contacting the Belleville Little Devils Club Treasurer, Paul Dintelmann, at bellevillelittledevils1957@gmail.com.  Refunds requested prior to the athlete attending a practice session will be approved at the discretion of the Treasurer.   Refunds requested after the athlete has attended a practice session will only be approved under special circumstances and at the discretion of the Board of Directors.