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 Welcome to the 2012

Bristol Midget Football & Cheer

 Registration!

As a member of AYF and Mid CT Football and Cheer Conference, Bristol Midget Football and Cheer provides an opportunity for all children regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or religious preference an equal opportunity for participation in a safe, competitively balanced and organized setting.  

I would personally like to thank you for your participation and support of Bristol Midget Football and Cheer. Our goal is to provide an atmosphere where your children can have fun and learn the valuable lessons youth sports can teach them. You play the most imoprtant role in making this dream a reality. It is critical for you to contribute to a positive, supportive environment in which your children learn and play. Together, if we can keep our kids motivated and having fun, enjoying positive activities with other positive goal oriented kids on a football field instead of on the street, then they will not have time to hang around the wrong crowd and slowly, degree by degree, slip in the wrong direction.  

This is one of BMF&C's strongest motivations to do what we do. To accomplish this, our kids must accept and enjoy the level of play of their current abilities. They must love the game and want to work hard at practicing and learning more about the game. As much as you want it for them, the most you can do is support them and gently push them. Teach them about commitment, setting goals, and working hard to achieve them. Continually reward them. Educate them that success comes from individual improvement and effort and is not just about the score or what position they play. Consistently praise them for their efforts. The very fact your child is out on the field trying, makes them a true champion. Any young athlete can excel to a higher level of play if they are willing to put the time and work into it. The amount of time and level of effort they are willing to put forth is directly related to their self-esteem, level of enjoyment, and self-worth that is derived from the challenge.  

No influence or single factor determines the future success of your child more than you. Success is seeing your child develop in areas of self-esteem and self-worth. These, by the way, are also the most important factors which determine how well your child will develop his or her athletic skills. Statements like, "Don't do that", "You should have", Why didn't you?", or "You can't", all send negative messages. Statements such as, "You did great today", "I loved that move", "You're getting so much better", "I'm so proud of you", "Nice try, try again", or "Keep working hard", all send positive messages.  Tell your child they are ok and it will keep them wanting to stay in there and beat life's challenges.

We all want our children to excel in every activity in which they engage. However, we are not always sure what to expect. If a child is not improving at the same rate as other children, it is easy to blame poor coaching or lack of effort on the child's part for the lower level of ability. However, it is much harder to be objective about the child's ability. It could be that the other children have been involved in sports longer, that the child is late maturing and will need more time to develop motor coordination and size, or maybe this is not the activity for the child. The reverse is true as well. Parents who see their children excel begin to develop expectations. Talk with the coach about her/his expectations for your child. 

Coaches have many responsibilities. Parents can be a coach's greatest ally in making the youth sport experience a good one for all children. Youth sport coaches are always looking for volunteers. Coaches may appreciate help organizing social activities for the children. For example, parents can organize spaghetti dinners or pizza parties the night before games. The important piece is to ask how you can help. Coaches also need to be supported during practices and games. It is important that you, as parents, respect the decisions made by the coach, avoid coaching from the sidelines, and resist the urge to critique a coach until after the game. If you do have questions or concerns about coaching methods it is always important to first understand, from the coach's perspective, why a decision was made.

We will strive to create and foster a positive learning environment where hard work, team work and discipline are the foundations from which we will build not only our teams, but our entire program.

Thank you for all of your support. And please, always remember, that our youth, on and off the field, are what this is all about. There is a lot more at stake then just developing great football players or cheerleaders.

Thank you,

Bristol Midget Football and Cheer