FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• First day of practice begins on August 1st and tackle will typically practice five (5) days per week during August, then three (3) days per week in September through the end of the season. Flag typically practices four (4) days per week during August, and three (3) days per week in September through the end of the season. These days do not include Saturday game days.
• Practices typically will last 2-3 hours including water breaks. Flag practice typically will last 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Players must have a minimum of ten (10) days of practice (20 hours), 10-hours without pads and 10-hours with pads (non-contact) to certify in Mid-August. This is a requirement in order to play in the first season game.
• August practices will be held at various TUSD campuses. Specific locations are not determined until mid-July
• Beginning in September, practices are typically held at Foothill High School and Hewes Middle School.

• Opening Day will be held (Date TBD at Foothill High School). This will be a scrimmage and not a league game.
• The first season game is (TBD).

• Most tackle divisions will play ten (10) consecutive Saturday games in a season (Some teams may experience a bye in schedule). Flag and will typically play eight (8) games.
• JPW & up may qualify for playoffs & Championships which could extend the season into early December.
• Bowl games will be an option should the team decide to participate. These games are held either Thanksgiving Weekend or the first weekend of December.

• In the shadow of the recent tragedies surrounding youth athletes who have perished on the football field and with great concern for rapid weight loss or restricted weight gain of naturally growing children, Tustin Pop Warner will take weight limits very seriously. 
• Tustin Pop Warner cannot sign-up a player who is eight (8) pounds over the maximum weight limits.
• Weight will be verified at the league physical day or from the physicians signed physical form should you be unable to attend the league physical day.
• Note: No players will be officially assigned to a team until the weight has been documented.
• Physical documentation must be turned in before August 1st for all registered players. Should physical documentation not be turned in by 08/01, said player will be removed from the team roster until paperwork is submitted and approved. Space permitting, the player will be placed back on the team roster.
• Players whom are of concern due to their weight history will be monitored and checked prior to a team assignment. Players must be within six (6) pounds of the maximum weight
• limit before beginning practice on August 1st.
• Note: No player can attend practice, even to condition to drop weight, if they are six (6) pounds over the division weight limit.
• Players must be at or under the maximum weight limit by Team Certification (mid-August).
• JAMZ camp registration fee

• Uniform - $365: the first payment due the day of our fitting, June 12th, and the final payment due at team meeting – last week in July or our first practice day, August 1st. Parents can pay the full amount June 12th as well. Fee includes: shell, skirt, briefs, shoes and liner. Warm up jacket/pants are additional cost and not mandatory.
• Game Day, "Think Pink," and Competition bows
• Backpack

There is no league fundraising or Parent Volunteering commitment! This is rare for Pop Warner Leagues!

• The season begins August 1st and practices are held five (5) days a week until after Labor Day.
• All games are on Saturday however, playoffs can occur on Sundays.
• 2023 Opening Day Scrimmages is TBD. The Regular Season begins August 24th. Games are played on August 31st (Labor Day Weekend). There are 10 games in the regular season.
• The post season could go as late as the first week of December for JPW and above (National Championships).

• If you are a Tustin, Irvine, Villa Park, Anaheim Hills or unincorporated Santa Ana resident you are eligible to play for Tustin.
• You can go to www.popwarneroec.com to see the other cities and refer to the OEC Administrative By-Laws for Association boundary information as well as download the Waiver form.
• If you have played under a Waiver for two (2) years for Tustin, you have been 'grandfathered' in our Association. Waivers are only good for one (1) year.

• If a Geographical Waiver is required, applicants will not be allowed to sign-up via the online registration system.
• The applying member is responsible for obtaining a Waiver from the resident's Pop Warner releasing city, signed by that Association President.
• The applicant can obtain the Waiver from www.popwarneroec.com and also obtain the contact information for the releasing city from the OEC website links.
• Once the Waiver is signed by the releasing city the applicant can apply for Tustin Pop Warner.
• All Waiver applicants will be required to submit all paperwork and payment (in full) in order to be placed on an official roster.
• Note: Waivers are not automatic. It is up to the releasing city to authorize and sign the Waiver. Tustin has no overriding power to obtaining a Waiver.
• If your family has played for Tustin, and you live in Orange or Irvine, you may continue to be eligible to participate with TPW if you choose without a waiver.

Your operations volunteer commitment has been taken care of in the registration fee which includes snack bar and field labor for game day field set up, field teardown, snack bar & timekeeping. At Tustin, we think you should spend time enjoying the games and your children's participation and not having to work.

• The Travel Fund fee is a component of your Registration Fee. $10 from each tackle player and cheerleader (JMM thru Midget) will go into a separate league travel account with our financial institution. Any teams that qualify for Nationals (Pop Warner Super Bowl in Orlando) will receive up to 80% of the funds in the account at any given year. 20% will remain in the fund for continued growth.
• The current year Board will decide on a maximum $/participant at the beginning of each season that would be distributed from said Fund.
• Note: National Competition is only open to JPW thru Varsity. Notwithstanding, the JMM & MM levels will still participate as by the time those players are eligible for travel to Nationals the fund will be larger.
• FYI: The cost to Travel to Florida for the Championships (Div 1) is approximately $1200 per football player & $800 per cheerleader (including airfare, required Disney team hotel accommodations & food). OEC (our conference) and the NFL also have Travel Funds that will have distributions to traveling teams/squads. It can be assumed that at least $500 of travel will be subsidized though these three funds.

• The Orange Empire Conference ("OEC') is the conference that Tustin belongs to consisting of 27 cities primarily in Orange County.
• The Western Regional Conference ('WESCON) is the conference that OEC belongs to and is 1 of 8 national conferences that comprise National Pop Warner.

• You can expect to travel as far north as Baldwin Park & North Long Beach and as far south as San Clemente. You can refer to the OEC website for the complete list of cities.
• Game times begin as early as 9AM and as late as 7PM. normally, the Flag, JMM & MM usually will be morning games, the JPW & PW games will be late morning to early afternoon games and the JV & V games are late afternoon or evening games. Game times will vary.
• Regional Playoff Games may include travel to the Inland Empire, San Diego and/or Western Arizona.

• Physicals will be conducted (Saturday - June 17th, Location Athletic Republic Orange County); and the league will contact players regarding the team's specified time.
• League paperwork will be submitted at Physical Day or collected by a team representative.
• If you cannot attend Physical Day, you may obtain the official Pop Warner form from a league representative and have your personal doctor complete and authorize. Only Pop Warner forms will be accepted.