The League

The CDMFA is the Capital District Minor Football Association. The CDMFA is a Registered Society (Alberta) whose members operate the league in order to provide the opportunity for minor football teams in the City of Edmonton and its surrounding communities to play each other in the spirit of friendly competition. Each Member Association or Club (at this writing, there are 21 clubs for the 2008 season; they make up the 76 teams that play in the Atom, Peewee, Bantam and Midget Levels) operate teams at each of the three age levels available under Football Alberta rules for minor football in Alberta. Midget was added in the spring of 2005, but it is not yet a formal provincial program. Some of our Member Associations only operate a single team, whereas others operate as many as nine different teams at all four levels.

Club Recruitment Areas

Each club has been assigned a recruitment area. Generally, these areas are as follows: The Raiders, Seahawks and Eagles draw from Edmonton north of the North Saskatchewan River; the Grizzlies, Chargers and Mustangs south of the river; SCMFA and the independent Sherwood Park Bantams and Midgets from Strathcona County south of Hwy. 16; St. Albert from Sturgeon County; Leduc from the County of Leduc; Elk Island from the area around Fort Saskatchewan and Elk Island, including east of Hwy 23 and north of Hwy. 16; Foothills from the area south of Calgary; and Stony Plain and Spruce Grove from Parkland County. Fort McMurray, Lloydminster and Camrose draw from their respective cities. There is also a "shared zone" in Central Edmonton that any Edmonton team is free to draw players from.

Have a look at the map on the Team Finder page on this site to find the club closest or most convenient to you. You can then contact that team either directly or through the I Want To Play Football page. That team will tell you 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 operated by that club. If you live outside a club's recruitment area you can still play for that team, provided a release is approved by all the teams that draw from the area that you live in. The team you wish to play for will facilitate this procedure for you. Release requests from individual players will be ignored; the release request must come from the Team Registrar through the on-line release system.

Age Groups and League Divisions

There are three age groups, or Divisions, for minor football in Alberta. They are Atom (players who turn 10 or under before December 31 of the current year - although there is no minimum age, very few 8 year olds are mature enough to play tackle football, and even fewer 7 year olds have the necessary attention to detail), PeeWee (players who turn 11 or 12 during the current year) and Bantam (players who turn 13, 14 or 15 during the current year and who are not entering grade 10 in September of this year). Another way of saying the same thing for the 2008 season would be that 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. The Midget Division was added in 2005.Midgets are playerswho arecurrently in Grades 9, 10 or 11 and who arenot turning 19 in the current calendar year. In general terms, if you are eligible to playHigh School in the fall, you can play Midget in the spring of the same year, provided that you are no older than 18 during the current calendar year.

Our Season

Normally the Atom, PeeWee and Bantam season starts the third weekend in August and runs for nine weeks. This is followed by three weeks of League Playoffs and two weeks of Provincials. Games are normally played on Saturdays and Sundays. Again this season there will be a few games played on Friday nights "under the lights"; we are indeed fortunate in that many of our facilities are lit stadiums, and our players (especially the younger ones) get a big thrill of being able to play these night games. Most clubs begin practices many weeks before the season starts. Some practice fewer days per week but start earlier (even 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 is a Spring League and takes place during the months of April and May. Midget teams have their pre-season tryouts and dry-land training events in March. Most Midget games are played at Clarke Park, although a few are also played at Foote Field.

Our MISSION STATEMENT

To be an association of football clubs that strives for a safe, affordable and first-class amateur football opportunity in the Capital District by governing league play, supporting member organizations, and promoting teamwork, leadership and good sportsmanship with a focus on the development of participants and the enjoyment of everyone.