A breakdown of age and weight classes for both Football and Cheer can be found on their respective tabs on this website.
There are three competitive divisions, or levels, within the Football program. Division 1 (DI) is the most competitive followed by Division 2 (DII) and Division 3 (DIII) respectively. The VP Football and individual coaches are responsible for deciding which division and team is best suited for each player. As a program we strive to balance the competitiveness of the teams within a particular division and across divisions.
There are two competitive divisions, or levels, within the Cheer program. There is the Competition Squad and the In-House Squads.
Requests to play on a certain team or cheer for a certain squad will always be given consideration.
The fees for both Football and Cheer can be found on their respective tabs on this website.
An early registration discount is available before May 31st, 2008. Please see that information under the Football and Cheer tabs.
The Chargers do not currently offer a discount for families that register more than one participant.
If financial assistance is required please contact the Chargers President.
From the date of registration until August 1st, 2008 there is a $25 charge if a participant drops out of the program. For Football, there is an additional $50 charge to cover the cost of the jersey (which includes last name and number). The player will receive their personalized jersey.
Should a participant decide to opt-out of the program, refunds will not be provided if any of the following conditions apply:Refunds will be sent only after all equipment (as outlined on the respective tabs of each program on this website) has been received by the Naperville Chargers.
Naperville Chargers will hold a required equipment fitting at the Sport Zone on May 4th from 4-7pm.
The 7 piece pad set refers to the following equipment: Hip (2); Tailbone; Thigh (2); Knee (2). The Chargers have contracted with Schutt to provide helmets at a discounted rate. A qualified professional will be available for proper fitting of athletes.
For more details on equipment included with registration fees please consult the Football and/or Cheer tabs. Please see Calendar tab and map for additional details.
Every June there is a football skills camp led by Ryan Clifford, owner of Going Vertical. Ryan held many IHSA rushing and scoring records including Most Points and Most Touchdowns. Ryan's staff includes local area high school and college football players.
Please click here for more information and to download the registration form.
Please see Calendar tab and map for additional details.
The Naperville Chargers will make every attempt to post any heat or other weather related notes pertaining to practice by 3pm each day.
A early storm detection system will be at the field. In the event the alarm is triggered, practice is suspended for a
The Naperville Chargers programs (Football and Cheer) currently practice at 111th/Hassert and Book roads in southwest Naperville.
Both programs begin practice the evening of August 4th, 2008. Practice is limited to ten hours per week prior to Labor Day. After that date, practice is limited to six hours per week. Ten hours of conditioning must be completed prior to full contact drills. Coaches determine practice dates and times.
Cheer practice is limited to ten hours per week prior to Labor Day. After that date practice will be limited to four hours per week (2 two-hour sessions). Cheer Director will determine practice dates and times.
At various times during the season, the Competitive Cheer squad requires special practice surfaces and equipment which dictate use of a separate facility. As a matter of policy, the Naperville Chargers attempt to keep both programs near one another throughout the season to ease the burden on our parents of shuttling between two locations.
Players and parents are to enter and leave the Zion field on the East side of the church. The West side of the church and any drop-off, pick-up or parking along Book Road is strictly off-limits to the Chargers.
The Chargers' encourage families to get involved in our program.
And while we understand and appreciate the circumstances faced by some parents who need to bring additional kids to the field we also, unfortunate as it may be, need to ask parents to pay closer attention to the whereabouts of the kids not in the program because of liability concerns and restrictions placed on us by the church.
Specifically, we need parents to be certain kids don't enter the Chargers' equipment trailer or play on equipment intended for the football teams.
Pop Warner requires each player and participant to be certified as to age, weight and scholastic eligibility prior to the start of the season.
The Chicagoland Pop Warner Football Conference (CPWFC) season typically kicks off in late August. The Naperville Chargers may decide from season to season to include teams in pre-season games that are part of area "bowl games". The CPWFC season generally includes eight regular season games (a mix of home and away games) and play-offs depending on division. The youngest division, Tiny Mites, plays six games and one tournament game. Tiny Mites use an 80-yard field, whereas all other divisions use regulation 100-yard fields.
Games are generally played on Saturday. Games start late morning and the schedule for games will typically follow the age divisions with the youngest division playing first with the older divisions following in order. There are Sunday games during various weeks in the season.
DI, DII and Competitive Cheer Squad(s) include play-offs. If one of these teams advances through Conference, Regional and National play-offs their season will conclude in early December in Orlando, FL.
See Fields for more information on the location of our home games. Click on the link for CPWFC for more information on the location of away games.
Pop Warner National Championships for football and cheer are the only such youth competitions held annually at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. The National Championship games are carried annually by ESPN and covered by SI Kids magazine.
Naperville Chargers home games are played at either Benedictine University (Lisle) or North Central College (Naperville).
Field locations are available on our map.
The Naperville Chargers are part of the legendary Pop Warner youth football and cheerleading organization, the nation's oldest and largest such organization. Locally, our program participates in the Chicagoland Pop Warner Football Conference (CPWFC).
The Pop Warner program is built around four elements: competitive football and cheer, scholastics and activities that support our communities. The Naperville Chargers take each commitment very seriously. To illustrate the level of commitment expected by Pop Warner, no other youth football and cheer association requires children to maintain a specific scholastic achievement level to participate in their program. Pop Warner scholar-athlete and -cheer participants must maintain a 2.0 GPA to play and participate throughout the season. Our children are also expected to learn about community involvement with active participation in various programs. At the Naperville Chargers, we promote and support this outstanding idea with several programs including our Chargers Tackling Cancer event in addition to our Senior Day.
Our program believes strongly in placing the safety and interests of children first. All volunteers associated with our program must comply with and pass an independent background check administered by Pop Warner. They must also adhere to policies established by our program that mandate the proper behavior for adults working with and teaching children. We use trainers and area high school coaches at various times throughout the season to teach the kids and coaches the latest in conditioning, fundamentals and strategy.
Football coach inquires should be sent to the Chargers' VP Football, and Recruiting and Trainers Director.
Cheer squad coach inquires should be sent to Chargers' VP Cheer.
The Naperville Chargers encourage everyone interested in coaching (regardless of experience) to inquire. Our program is structured to assist coaches of all abilities.
If you would like to volunteer for one of our committees please direct your inquiry to the Chargers' President.
The Naperville Chargers take the concerns of players, participants and parents very seriously.
If at any time you feel the need to discuss the conduct of a coach, an individual in the program or have concerns about the program, we encourage you to contact the Chargers' Parent Relations Director .
Specific to team matters, our program would also ask that you first discuss the situation with the Head Coach and/or Team Manager of the player or participant's team. If still not satisfied, please contact our Parent Relations Director. If you feel the issue needs to be escalated further, our Director will bring the matter to the attention of the Chargers' VP Relations. This Chargers VP will decide if the matter has been resolved to the parent's satisfaction or should be escalated to the Chargers' Executive Board. The Chargers' President may then decide to bring the matter before the CPWFC board if necessary. We ask that parents follow this escalation process until the matter is resolved to their satisfaction.
On a regular basis, the Chargers send email notices on important matters to every family based on the contact information provided to us at registration. Already this season, several notices have been sent to each family and/or guardian(s) in the program.
If you haven't received these notices please check your SPAM folder to be certain these emails are not located in that folder. If you find that to be the case, please be certain to make the appropriate changes to your email application to allow Naperville Chargers' emails to arrive in your inbox.
It may also be the case that if you provided us with your corporate email for a contact address, it's possible that your mail server as a matter of corporate policy doesn't allow emails from AOL through to your inbox. If you believe that may be the situation please contact Greg Kuhl with a personal email address that we can use for future notices.
The Chargers believe that teaching our children to actively participate in the success of their program is a fundamental component of our success. Each season every participant is asked to raise funds in which the proceeds benefit the Naperville Chargers.
The Naperville Chargers as a general rule use only Pop Warner business partners for these fundraising activities. In 2007, the Chargers’ featured the latest in NFL Spirit Cups from BRAX, Ltd. (http://www.spiritcups.com) in what turned out to be a hugely successful fundraiser. For the 2008 season the Chargers’ used discount cards designed by America’s ValuCard (http://www.valucards.com) as a fundraising tool. The ValuCard features local retailers and businesses which offer discounts exclusive to the Naperville Chargers for an extended period of time.
The family of each football player and cheer member is asked to pay $100 per participant as part of the fundraising activity. To illustrate how the program works, during the 2008 season each participant was required to purchase 10 ValuCards for $100 total. Participants were then free to sell the cards at $10 per card to family, friends and neighbors or provide them as thoughtful gifts if so they desired. Players and cheerleaders are encouraged to raise more than the annual minimum $100 per participant. Conversely, families recoop money paid upfront as part of this program.