REGISTER
Director of Football
Welcome to another great year of football.
Below you will find a basic outline on how the season works. Your head coach will handle all of the details concerning practices, equipment issue, etc. We at OLP are looking forward to another successful year of football
Who are we?
Little Panthers Football is a full contact (tackle) football program designed to teach young players, ages 5 to 14, the skills and fundamentals of football with a strong emphasis on sportsmanship, discipline and competition. Our support from O’Fallon High School is with the expectation that we prepare players for high school level competition.
The Little Panthers is a 100% volunteer organization. Due to the challenges this presents, Little Panthers Football has a required volunteer policy. Compliance with this policy will be required for your participant's continued participation in the program. The Volunteer Policy requirements are as follows:
4 VOLUNTEER HOURS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE FIRST PARTICIPANT REGISTERED.
EACH ADDITIONAL FAMILY MEMBER REGISTERED ADDS 2 ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER HOURS TO THE REQUIREMENT.
ALL REQUIRED VOLUNTEER HOURS MUST BE AT LEAST 50% COMPLETE BY THE END OF WEEK 5, OR YOUR PARTICIPANTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO SIT OUT UNTIL VOLUNTEER HOURS ARE BROUGHT INTO COMPLIANCE.
ALL REQUIRED VOLUNTEER HOURS MUST BE 100% COMPLETE BY SEASON'S END.
When/Where do we play?
We play a nine-week schedule beginning in late August; one game per weekend on either Saturday or Sunday. Playoffs, for those winning teams that qualify, are played in the two weekends following the regular season completion. Home games are played at the O’Fallon High School Football field. Away games are played in participating communities within a 50-mile drive radius. Locations of away games can be found on the TriCounty website.
Official practices begin near the end of July, with optional non-contact practices the week prior. Frequency of practices varies per coach but typically decreases in frequency to twice per week by the start of the season. Players are expected to attend every practice scheduled unless significant issues preclude attendance.
How does the league work?
A participant's division is determined by their age on September 1. All participants must make the initial weight for their corresponding age division by the League deadline. Beginning with the second week of League play, all participants will receive a one-pound growth allowance every two weeks throughout the season. Position restrictions will be determined at the pre-game weigh- in on a weekly basis. For details see the Mississippi Valley Youth Football League Weight Chart. Games are played under IHSA rules except where Mississippi Valley Youth Football League has made special rules to accommodate younger divisions.
Coaches
Little Panthers Coaches are respectable members of our community with a strong understanding of football and know how to motivate and instruct youth football players. Each head coach is required to go through an interview process and be approved by Little Panthers Board of Directors. A completed background check and concussion training is required for head coaches and all who will assist the head coach.
Important Dates:
April 3, 2023 - Registration for O'Fallon Little Panthers Tackle Football Opens
July 1, 2023 - Official Practices Begin
August 4, 2023 at 5:00 PM - Registration for OLP Tackle Football Closes
August 5, 2023 - Scheduling
August 19, 2023 - MANDATORY Weight-In
August 26-27, 2023 - Opening weekend
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”
-Vince Lombardi