SO YOU WANT TO PLAY FOR THE PATRIOTS

WHAT ARE THE LEVELS AND AGES?

Western Patriots Football offers competitive full contact football for Atom, Mosquito, Pee-Wee, and Bantam, as well as a Flag Football Titan program.

LEVELS AND AGES

Titans (5 - 7 years) practice and also play games which are designed to introduce you and your child to the wonderful sport of Football. The objective is to learn and have fun! Titans wear helmets and pads but play non-contact “flag football.”

Atom (7 - 9 years) play in the North Shore Football League. Atom is “9-man” tackle football.

Mosquito (10 - 11 years) play in the North Shore Football League. Mosquito is “12-man” tackle football.

Peewee (12 - 13 years) play in the North Shore Football League. Peewee is “12-man” tackle football.

Bantam (14 - 15 years) play in the Quebec Bantam Football League (QBFL). Bantam is “12-man” tackle football.

NOTE: Ages are determined as of December 31st.

WHO CAN PLAY FOR WESTERN PATRIOTS TEAMS?

If you are between the ages of 5 to 15 and live in our protected territories of Ile Perrot, Notre-Dame-de-l'ile-Perrot, Pincourt, Terrasse Vaudreuil you can play football for the Western Patriots.

If you live in the open territories of Vaudreuil/Dorion, St-Polycarpe, Coteaux du Lac, Les Coteaux, Les Cedres, Valleyfield, Hudson, or Rigaud, you can also play football for the Western Patriots.

If you are not sure you can play for the Patriots please contact us and we will let you know or steer you to the proper organization.

DO GIRLS PLAY FOOTBALL?

Yes, girls have played football for the Patriots in the past.

CAN I PLAY CIVIL FOOTBALL AND SCHOOL FOOTBALL?

No, Football Quebec strictly forbids players from signing both a Civil and Scholastic contract.

MY CHILD IS NOT BIG FOR HIS AGE. CAN HE STILL PLAY FOOTBALL?

Of course he/she can play!! There are weight limitations established by Football Quebec in order to match the physical stature of players. These weight limits apply at the Atom (105 lbs), Mosquito (130 lbs.), and Peewee (160 lbs.) levels. There is no weight limit at Bantam and Midget. NOTE: Players are permitted to gain an additional five pounds during the season.

IF MY CHILD IS OVER THE WEIGHT LIMIT CAN HE STILL PLAY?

If your child exceeds the weight limit at contract registration time in August, he/she can play Oline at his/hers age level or move up to the next age level to be eligible to play any other position.

WHAT EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED?

Equipment is provided for every player for the duration of the season. The equipment (helmet, chinstrap, shoulder pads, pants and jersey) is loaned to the player and must be returned to Western Patriots Football Association at the end of the season. The only equipment you are required to purchase is appropriate footwear (i.e. cleats).

WHEN DOES THE SEASON START?

Practices start indoors for most levels (except Titans) in March. Teams will typically practice outdoors from mid May to mid June. Following the spring practices, teams will break for the summer and resume the regular season practice schedule in mid July. Games usually begin the second weekend in August. There are usually 10 regular season games on the schedule.

HOW OFTEN DO TEAMS PRACTICE?

Teams normally hold 2 or 3 practices per week. The Head Coach at each level can confirm the frequency of and times of practices. Practices are held at local parks.

WHEN ARE GAMES PLAYED?

There is usually one game per week which is held on the weekend. On occasions such as Labour Day or Thanksgiving, there may be two games (e.g. Saturday and Monday) .

WHERE ARE GAMES PLAYED?

All home games are played on the field behind Ecole Virginie Roy, located on 5th ave in Ile Perrot.

Away games for Atom , Mosquito, and Peewee are played at opponents home fields in the West Island (St-Lazare, Vaudreuil, Pierrefonds, DDO, Kirkland and Ile Bizard).

Bantam away games are mostly played within the greater Montreal area and may require travel to parks further away (e.g. Chateuguay, Joliette or Sherbrooke.) A bus is provided for players and coaches for those games outside the West Island.

WHEN DOES THE SEASON END?

The regular schedule will end around Thanksgiving. Depending on how far a team advances in the playoffs, the season could run until late October. If a team reaches the Provincial final you can expect to play an additional 4 to 5 playoff games.

IS FOOTBALL A DANGEROUS SPORT?

Research studies have shown that if players are properly equipped, properly instructed, and properly supervised there is little difference with regards to injury risk between youth football, hockey, soccer and many other sports. However, should your child incur an injury during a game, Western Patriots Football contracts for the presence of a qualified Sports Therapist at all games and most practices.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO PLAY?

There are different costs for each level but generally fees range from $130 (Titans) to $310 (Bantam). These fees include a sports therapist at games, trophies for each player, a team photo, and a team banquet at the end of the season. Our fees are all inclusive and cover everything required to play with the exception of footwear. We do ask parents to contribute at least 10 hours of volunteer work during the season and the occasional fundraiser to help keep the cost to our members low.

HOW AND WHERE DO I REGISTER?

In-person registration takes place in the month of March. Details are posted on our website at www.westernpatriotes.com

IF I MISS SPRING TRAINING CAN I STILL SIGN UP AND PLAY?

Technically speaking, players can sign a contract for football until the submission deadline date which is October 1st. However, we strongly recommend that you register as early as possible (spring) in order to benefit fully from the experience of the full season of football.

DOES FOOTBALL QUALIFY FOR THE CHILD SPORTS TAX CREDIT?

Yes, a receipt will be issued to you by Western Patriots Football after the end of the season.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?

The Western Patriots Football Association is a community oriented organization and we are always in need of volunteers. There are many areas where you can help. Examples of volunteer duties include coaching, administration and registration, fund raising, canteen volunteer, timer/scorekeeper, team manager and on field duties (yardsticks).