Becoming a CFYL Volunteer
Why Should I Become a Volunteer?
Thats simple...Because we cannot do it without your help!
Columbia Youth Football League is a 100% volunteer organization. We’re all out here for the kids. CYFL is an organization designed to build good citizens. It is a program of leadership, preparing today's youth to be tomorrow's leaders. At the local level, Columbia Youth Football League relies on a devoted legion of adult volunteers to help ensure that the organization remains structured and runs smoothly. Your local CFYL youth sports program is always looking for responsible and enthusiastic individuals to support and coordinate CYFL events and activities. As a volunteer, you should have a keen interest in the safety, well-being, and overall development of children. By reading further, you will discover that the benefits of volunteering are endless. You will also gain a better understanding of why you should become involved, who volunteers are, what you can do, and how you can sign up.
Who Can Volunteer?
Anyone can apply to become a volunteer. Whatever talents or skills you have, we can use them! Across the country, volunteers are grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, retirees, community leaders, former CYFL players, friends, neighbors, and more. Any community member who wishes to become a volunteer may apply. All parents of children involved in CYFL youth sports programs are strongly encouraged to volunteer. As a parent, volunteer, you have the opportunity to spend quality time with your child in a safe, fun-filled environment. Oftentimes, parent and child social lives parallel each other. Volunteering allows your life and your child's life to intersect on common ground, with shared interests and goals. On rare occasions, the CYFL Board of Directors may deny individuals the privilege of volunteering for reasons, past or present, that may be detrimental to the positive development of young people, other volunteers, and/or the Columbia Youth Football League. When you apply to become a volunteer, you give CYFL the right to conduct necessary background checks.
How Do I Become A Volunteer?
Easy, take a minute to fill out the volunteer form while registering your child. If you are not a parent and would like to volunteer, take a minute to fill out the form while visiting your local registration location.
The volunteer application form is available here
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What Can I Volunteer To Do?
No experience is required to become a volunteer. Most of the volunteer opportunities require little or no training. Your local league will provide you with any necessary training (as well as support and encouragement), as they deem necessary. The best volunteers are those who are able to bring added enjoyment to the game simply be being themselves. What you see during CYFL games is a mere fraction of what you can do as a volunteer. You can volunteer to help in virtually any aspect of the CYFL youth sports program.
Various Volunteer Opportunities
Listed below are some common volunteer opportunities with local leagues. Keep in mind that these are general descriptions and will vary depending on the needs of your local league. In addition, other positions may be available. Please consult with your local league president on how to best use your talents and skills to help provide your kids the best CYFL experience possible.
Being a Team Manager or Coach
Being a manager or coach requires time, patience, and basic knowledge of the game of football. You may be required to attend meetings, instructional sessions, or seminars. You will work with the Team Parent to communicate with the parents/guardians of your players to inform them of any schedule changes, rainouts, and CYFL events and activities.
As a manager or coach, you have more interaction with young people than anyone else in CYFL. Therefore, it is important that you understand the goals and virtues of the CYFL program in order to effectively communicate them to your players. To gain a better understanding of what those goals and virtues are, visit CYFL's homepage or speak with your league's president. There are usually two coaches on each time to help the Manager.
Being a Team Parent
Team Parents help the coaching staff with communication on all team matters (such as game schedules, make up game times, emails, etc). They also schedule the Concession schedule for each team. This is a very important supporting position that the coaches and managers always appreciate.
Being a part of Chain Crew or Timekeeper Volunteers are needed for every game to run the Ball/Down Marker and 1st Down Chains. We need a minimum of two people from each team to know how to handle the chains and time clock or scoreboard. Each team also needs someone to keep of who played what position and how many plays each player has been in the game. The lower levels of play are a great place to start if you have never been the official scorekeeper before. This is easy and fun!
Even someone who has never played or even attended a football game before can handle the chains. Best seats on the field..
Helping at Registration
Volunteers may be needed to make and distribute posters and flyers advertising the beginning of registration. You can pass these out to local schools and youth organizations, and distribute them throughout neighborhoods. Announcements can be placed in local newspapers and on local radio stations. They should have the time, date and location of local registration, and they should inform parents of any specific documents that will be needed.
Volunteers are also needed at the time of registration. You will be responsible for organizing lines, handing out forms, answering questions, making sure that forms are filled out completely and correctly, and collecting participation fees. Note: As stated in the CYFL official rulebook, at no time should payment of any fee be a prerequisite for participation in any level of the CYFL program. It is recommended that parents who are unable to pay a participation fee be encouraged to contribute volunteer time to the league.
Distributing equipment With over 500 players on 24 teams in the tackle division, we can use all of the help we can get. There are plenty of things to do here from getting the players organized and collecting forms to actually fitting equipment. We need help for a couple of evenings handing out equipment before practice begins. We also need help collecting and sorting equipment after the last home game. Then we need assistance with equipment shed at the end of the season to organize and inventory all equipment. That’s it! Just a couple of hours of your time saves countless hours for our Equipment Managers and Coaches.
Selling Concessions
Each team is responsible for providing one adult for every game. The Home Team is responsible for the first half of the game and 15 before the games begin. Away Teams are responsible for the last half of the game and the 15 minutes after the game. If a traveling team is visiting our field then the home team is responsible for the whole game. Usually 2 people are schedule for these games. The job is as simply, it involve standing behind a counter and filling orders.
Merchandise
Committee Members
Just ask a Manager, Coach, Umpire or Board member if you would like to volunteer for any position. |