1. What is the CDMFA?
2. Where can I go to registrer my child for minor football?
3. Please explain the "Player Release" system to me in more detail.
4. What are the age groups?
5. My son is quite small, are there any weight restrictions?
6. When does the season start, and how long does it last?
7. What other fund raising is required?
8. Why do the Atoms almost always play first at 11:00, the Bantams next at 12:30 and then the PeeWees at 3:00?
9. What is the EFOA?
10. I have heard that football is a dangerous sport, and that players can get injured. Is this true?
11. Are there different skill or competition levels in football?
12. What rules do you follow, and are the rules very different from the CFL and NFL?
13. What certification do the coaches have?
14. How much does it cost to register for football, and what is included?

What is the CDMFA?
The CDMFA is the Capital District Minor Football Association, a registered society under the Societies Act of Alberta. The members of the CDMFA are independent Minor Football associations, who operate the league in order for their football teams to compete with each other in the City of Edmonton and surrounding communities. Each participating Association or Club (there are 19 clubs at the time of this writing in January of 2008, as we welcome our three newest members, the Foothills Falcons, the Lloydminster Chargers and the Elk Island Lightning) can operate teams at each of the three age levels available under Football Alberta rules for minor football in Alberta. A fourth level (Midget) was added in the spring of 2005. Member associations represent the Cities of Edmonton, St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Fort Saskatchewan, Camrose, Lloydminster and Fort McMurray; the Towns of Stony Plain and Okotoks; and the Counties of Leduc and Strathcona. [Return to top of page]

Where can I go to register my child for minor football?
Each club has been assigned a recruitment area. Have a look at the Team Finder map and the Registration Info page on this site to find the club closest or most convenient to you, and to determine if you are eligible to play for them. Any player who lives within a club's recruitment area is eligible to play for a team under that club. If you live outside a club's recruitment area but, for some reason such as family or close friends, you wish to play on that team, you may be able to do so through the "Player Release" system. This system is a process that CDMFA has put into place that enables players to play for teams outside of the area in which they reside. CDMFA believes that, as a general rule, players should play for the team that operates in the area that they live in; however, we recognize that there are often legitimate reasons for a player to wish to play elsewhere. In other words, a "recruitment area" does not mean that an Association owns a player's playing rights. A Player Release is required from all teams that have recruiting rights in the area of residence of the player before he can play outside of his area. As a general rule, these Player Release requests are normally looked upon favourably by the League. Simply make it clear that you live outside of the area of jurisdiction of the team involved, and the club will look after this process for you. [Return to top of page]

Please explain the "Player Release" system to me in more detail.
As stated in the previous section, each Member Club or Association has been assigned a recruitment area. However, in the past we have always had requests from players who wish to play for a team other than the one based in the area in which they live.

Unitl a few years ago, each team could carry up to three "imports" without asking permission from the association or team where the player resided. Any imports after these three required a letter of release. These letters were seldom forthcoming, and as a result many players were not permitted to play outside their zone. The league had no power to require a team to release a player, and it was seldom done.

As the number of players playing the game of football grew, we saw that there was a growing number of cases where players chose not to play at all if they couldn't play with friends or with a team that they had developed -- for whatever reason -- a relationship with, and happened to be based outside of the area in which they lived.

Therefore the rule was changed. Imports were no longer allowed; and in the place of the old three-import rule, a modified release system was implemented. Now, any player who wishes to play as an import must have a release. If, however, the release is denied, the requesting team can now appeal to the league, and the league has the final say. The league's position is that releases should be granted unless there is compelling reason not to do so. The result has been that, as a general rule, players are more or less free to play outside their zone, as long as they follow the process. The problem of players choosing not to play because they were forced to play for a team that they did not wish to play for is no longer an issue; it's encouraged more players to play and to remain in the game, and that has to be a good thing. [Return to top of page]

What are the age groups?
There are 4 age groups for minor football in the CDMFA, although only 3 are formally recognized by Football Alberta at this time. Midget, a fourth level, was added in 2005 and plays in the Spring, generally during the months of April and May. Midget serves to provide a place for players who will be playing High School in the fall to hone and develop their skills playing a very high calibre of football.

Our summer season with the Atoms, PeeWees and Bantams begins in August and continues into mid- to late October. Atoms are players who turn 10 or under before December 31 of the current year - very few 8-year-olds are mature enough to play tackle football, and even fewer 7-year-olds have the necessary attention to detail. PeeWees turn 11 or 12 during the current year. Bantam players turn 13, 14 or 15 during the current year and cannot be entering Grade 10 in September of this year. (The reason for this Grade 10 rule is that most, but not all, 15-year-olds will in fact enter Grade 10 and are thus eligible for High School football; this rule allows those 15-year-olds who will be in Grade 9 the opportunity to play.) Another way of saying the same thing for the 2008 season is, Atoms are players born during 1998 or since 1998. Peewees are players born in 1997 or 1996, and Bantams are players born in 1995, 1994 and 1993 who are not going into high school this fall. Midget players will be graduating Bantams (grade 9’s) and Grade 10 and 11 players who are not turning 19 in the calendar year of 2008.

Also, it should be pointed out that it is permissible for a player to play in a higher division, if he chooses to do so and if his coaches agree that he has the physical attributes to play at the higher level safely. The most common instance for this happening is when an exceptional second-year Bantam player plays Midget in the Spring, then returns to his Bantam team for his second (or third) year of Bantam eligibility. This is rare, but certainly not unheard of. [Return to top of page]

My son is quite small, are there any weight restrictions?
There are no weight classes for minor football in Alberta. Some leagues have put weight restrictions on certain age groups or positions; however CDMFA believes that this is neither necessary nor appropriate. Our belief, in fact, is just the opposite. We feel that such a rule would be unnecessarily restrictive, and would not allow some players the opportunity to play positions for which they might be well suited. In a worst-case scenario, it might even deny someone the opportunity to play.

Therefore, the decision to play rests with the child and the parent. Please do not ask for your child to play at a lower age class because he/she is small. This request will be denied. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule. In general, and in all honesty, we have never seen the size of a player - whether large or small - to be an issue; both large and small players can play football, and can play it very well. [Return to top of page]

When does the season start, and how long does it last?
Normally the season for Atom, Peewee and Bantam starts the 3rd weekend in August and runs for 9 weeks. This is followed by 3 weeks of League playoffs and 2 weeks of provincials. For 2008 the season start date is yet to be determined. Games are normally on Saturdays and Sundays. Again this season there will be a few games played on Friday nights "under the lights". Most clubs begin practices many weeks before the season starts. Some practice fewer days per week but start earlier (some as early as May). Other teams practice more days per week and may start in July. Be sure to ask your club what their practice schedule is. The Midget season starts training around March, and begins play at the start of April. The Midget season is over by the middle of May. Again, each team determines its own practice schedules; ask the team that you are playing for what their schedule is.

It should be noted that the season is currently under review, due to the advent of Tiering for 2008 at the PeeWee and Bantam levels. The exact mechanics of how this will work have yet to be worked out, however it will likely involve a pre-season "seeding" tournament followed by a three-game evaluation process, after which time the tiers will be set. The upper echelon teams will compete at the Tier I/II level and the lower teams at the Tier III/IV level. They will split from two "divisions" into the four tiers after the first round of playoffs, similar to what has been done in the past where the first-round losers go to the secondary tier.

As more information becomes available it will be posted here. [Return to top of page]

What other fund raising is required?
The CDMFA operated a very successful Casino in early 2007 and has been granted another for 2009, and may introduce other direct fund raising activities. However, most fund raising is done at the club level. Each club association is responsible for league fees (2007 League Fees were set at $1,000 for each Atom team, $1,200 for each Peewee team and $1,700 for each Bantam team.) Equipment is also a major expenditure for our Member Clubs. Registration fees only cover a part of their costs, and therefore some fundraising at the club level is usually necessary. Please be sure that you are aware of all volunteer or fund raising responsibilities that your child's club has assigned you. [Return to top of page]

Why do the Atoms almost always play first at 11:00, the Bantams next at 12:30 and then the Peewees at 3:00?
The reason we schedule games in this manner is to support our game officiating plan. Atoms are normally scheduled for 2 or 3 field officials, and Bantam games normally have 5 and Peewees normally have 3 or 4. If we follow that logic, each official will normally attend to 2 games. The first two from the Atom game are joined by 2 or 3 more (5 in total) for the Bantam game and then 3 or 4 stay for the final game. Like all good plans, there are adjustments made, and sometimes these numbers fluctuate. However, we have to have a plan to work from and in general, that is why the games occur in that order. [Return to top of page]

What is the EFOA?
The EFOA is the Edmonton Football Officials Association. All CDMFA games are presided over by qualified officials who are members of this association. We are proud to partner with this fine association whose members, while paid a small fee for their services, are largely volunteers and truly committed sports enthusiasts. Please show them respect. While most are seasoned veterans, the CDMFA is the entry level for football officiating (as it is for the players) and some are just learning this challenging role. Please provide them with your support and encouragement. [Return to top of page]

I have heard that football is a dangerous sport, and that players can get injured. Is this true?
To the surprise of many, tackle football is ranked behind 4 other sports in Canada (and the U.S. too, for that matter) for injuries per event. Football is rated fifth in the number and severity of injuries incurred behind Soccer, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey. While Football has been rightly called a collision sport and serious injuries can occur during games and practices, they are truly rare. While on rare occasions ambulances are sometimes seen on the field, it is most often done as a precaution, and these occasions rarely involve a serious injury. That being said, hurts such as bumps and bruises as well as scrapes and cuts are common, everyday occurrences. Be prepared to ice their bruises and bandage their scrapes.

One of the reasons for the safety of the sport is the quality of the equipment. Our teams spend a significant portion of their budgets each year on equipment that is of the utmost quality. This equipment includes NOCSAE certified helmets and a variety of other padding. Often, the equipment is exactly the same as that used by professional players. The obvious exceptions are when the size of the player requires specifically designed equipment for youth football. The teams own their own equipment; unlike other sports, the parents are not required to shell out hundreds of dollars each year for equipment.

Make sure that your child's equipment fits and is comfortable. Approach your club's equipment people if something does not appear right to you. [Return to top of page]

Are there different skill or competition levels in football?
For the 2008 season, Football Alberta has taken the major step forward of instituting tiering for regular season league play. This will apply to all leagues in Alberta at the Bantam and PeeWee levels. There will be four tiers, Tier I through IV. CDMFA will be competing at all four tiers, as will Calgary and Southern Alberta. Although there is no requirement for tiering at the Atom level as the CDMFA is the only league in Alberta to have full 12-man football for the Atom age group, we have nonetheless decided to tier Atom as well in order to maintain continuity and commonality for all of our age divisions.

Midget football in the CDMFA is tiered into three divisions, Tier I, II and III. Teams choose at the start of the season which tier they wish to compete in. At this time there is no Provincial championship at the Midget level; however, as the sport matures, this may be something to be considered in the future. [Return to top of page]

What rules do you follow, and is this game very different from CFL and NFL?
The CDMFA generally follows the Canadian Amateur Rule Book published by Football Canada. These rules are more similar to CFL rules than NFL rules in that there are 3 downs, 12 men on the field and motion in the backfield. However, there are too many differences between amateur rules and CFL rules to enumerate them here. There are a few "house" rules in the CDMFA as well. The two main ones apply to the Atom and Peewee levels. These are the game timing rule and the convert rule. Game timing at these levels are as follows: 1st and 3rd quarter are 15 minutes of straight time. Clock stoppage only on: 1) Time out (2 per team per half), 2) Injury time out (only after 1 minute has elapsed) and 3) An Official's time out to apply a ruling in the event of numerous infractions on a single play. The 2nd and 4th quarters are similar except there are 14 minutes of straight time followed by 3 plays. The convert rule is different in that there are 2 points awarded for a kicked convert, and 1 point only for a run or pass style convert. In Bantam and Midget, quarters are 12 minutes long with standard timing rules and the convert rules are as in professional and amateur football.

As a general observation, however, anyone familiar with the CFL game will find our game to be immediately recognizable, with remarkably few differences, especially to the casual fan. [Return to top of page]

What certification do the Coaches have?
The CDMFA requires that each Head Coach have completed the NCCP program for Level 1 Technical and Level 1 (old system) or Part A (new system) Theory. Each club has their own specific policies on additional certification or parent coaching. Please ensure that you ask your club for clarification on their policies. Midget coaching staffs will require all coaches to be level 1 or in the process or acquiring level 1. [Return to top of page]

How much does it cost to register for football, and what is included?
Each club sets their own registration fees. Generally the fees are less than $300 for the complete season and this will usually include all equipment except footwear and what is personal in nature. Some clubs require players to purchase additional items such as practice jerseys/pants, girdles or socks. In addition, some teams require some form of deposit for the equipment, and may require some form of a fundraising deposit. Please consult with your child’s team representatives if you have specific questions on this. Although footwear is the responsibility of the player, many teams will give you assistance as to what to look for and where to shop, and some sporting goods stores that specialize in football equipment will offer discounts to CDMFA players.

The biggest thing that you will notice about football is that you won't have to go out and purchase your own equipment. Helmets, shoulder pads, etc. are owned and supplied by the Clubs. In fact, a significant portion of each Association's budget each year is spent on the maintenance and upkeep of this equipment, which is of the best quality. [Return to top of page]

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