A Letter to the Parents Welcome from the board of the Apple Valley Knights Welcome to Apple Valley Knight Youth Football, a club within the Community Youth Athletic Program Inc. Thank you for visiting our home page. It is a pleasure to introduce you to our organization and what makes us unique in developing young athletes on and off the field. Apple Valley Knights Philosophy GENTLEMEN WITH COURAGE AV Knights Football was developed with the intent of helping young athletes develop their skills both on and off the field as they prepare for high school. With this in mind, we stress to each player that someone should only recognize him or her as a football player by his or her size. We do not tolerate bullies or players that have to cause trouble off the field. The Knights will preach the philosophy of "Gentlemen With Courage" to players. This means that on the field you need to be a hard nose aggressive athlete, giving 100% each and every play. However, off the field, you are to conduct yourself as gentlemen. The fallacy that football players have to be tough guys all the time is not only ridiculous but not tolerated in our organization. What makes AV Knights Football different? COMMITMENT + LOYALTY + DESIRE Put all these together and you have the knight’s formula for success. COMMITMENT means the level of “buy-in” that you display to the philosophy that all players must first and foremost have the interests of their team and teammates at heart. This means that you do not miss practices or games, or be late for practices or games, without an acceptable reason and without calling coaches beforehand. Commitment means that the goals of the team are more important than the goals of any individual player. In other words, when you spell the word “TEAM”, there is no “I”. Commitment means that you are willing do whatever is required to better yourself by upgrading your skills and abilities, by learning, and working hard for the benefit of yourself and the team. LOYALTY A feeling or attitude of devoted attachment and affection. Lets face it, football is unlike any other sport because football practice alone is not a once a week activity. Football is a sacrifice and because of that sacrifice you develop loyalty to the organization and to your teammates. With the team's success you begin to develop PRIDE in knowing that you are apart of something good. We build on this development and ask our players to always be loyal to them when it comes to making the right decisions both on and off the football field. DESIRE A wish or longing. And finally, we train DESIRE and a wanting to be the best that you can be. Never stop striving for the top because you are the only one that can keep you from reaching your goals. Why play youth football? Football is a team support. Eleven individuals must coordinate together as a team in order to succeed. The failure of one individual results in the whole team being penalized. These are values that can be carried over into everyday life. Often those individuals working in a team environment benefit from the team skills they learned from playing athletics earlier in life. Aside from the values that can be taught, playing sports at a young age can develop a youngster's muscle tone and enhance control of their body. Several youngsters have trouble losing weight at a young age. Football is great way to lose weight, gain muscle tone, develop confidence, and get in shape. Our practices will be hard, but fun. You need to be in shape to avoid injury on the football field, so expect to be conditioned. But the conditioning is so that a player is prepared to absorb and deliver hits on the field. This benefit can be carried over into everyday activity, as a better-conditioned athlete is a healthier person. AV Knight Football is a part of the Antelope Valley Youth Football Association (AVYFA). The AVYFA consists of four divisions: Freshman, Sophomores, juniors and Seniors division. The AV Knights have teams competing in each division and have designed this website to target each grade level. Please use the links at the top of the page when navigating from section to section. Some of the links on each grade level are similar but the content is specific to that grade level. I’m scared my son will get hurt? What parent does not want their child to keep out of harms way, but the reality of this world is that there is harm all around us. We could sit here and tell you that your child is more likely to get hurt playing in your backyard than on the football field and even show you the statistics to support that but all the same you will probably still not believe us. So instead of promising you that your child won't get hurt we going to promise you that your child will become more physically fit and will lose baby fat and gain muscle tone which will inevitably help him avoid injuries. The AV Knights will have experienced coaches that have played athletics on the college levels and know the proper techniques to keep your son safe and sound while having fun on the football field. Again, injuries can happen anywhere but the benefits outweigh the negatives when it comes to playing youth football. What about the coaches? Our board is responsible for the selection of the AV Knights Coaches. Each level will be staffed with at least one coach who played at the college level. Why is that important? Our players are not only taught the best and safest way to play the game but are taught the newest techniques that are being used at the upper levels. However, football is not all X's and O's. That is why first and foremost every coach is a quality person worthy of being a role model for young children. We do not choose coaches that are out here to fulfill their dream via young children or Dad’s looking to spend time with their kids. Our coaches are highly qualified coaches that have played the game and are respectable men/women looking to give back to their community and help others prosper in a game that taught them so much about the way of life. This alone is why some of our coaches will not have any children on the team. They are coach because we love what we do and love working with children. Still undecided on whether you think football is right for you or your child? We invite you to attend our football camp. The camp covers the fundamentals of football in a non-aggressive learning atmosphere. For new players, this is a perfect opportunity to see if you like football as this will give you a taste of what you can expect when the season starts in August. For returning players, this is like a preseason workout allowing you to improve on fundamentals and get ready for the upcoming season. The camp is open to all players from all teams and leagues. Nevertheless, if you decide that the AV Knights are not the team for you we encourage you to visit with the other organizations in the High Desert. We feel a child benefits greatly from participation in a team sport like football and our number one goal is to help kids. So it is not where you play but more importantly that you take advantage of the fun, confidence, and respect a child can gain from playing youth football. *** For questions or concerns, please email info@CYAP.org *** Basic rules of the Apple Valley Knights: To never lay down arms (Never Quit) Academic Excellence leads to a knight’s virtue. (Do well in School) When called upon, thou salt compete with all one's strength. To injure no one Not to attack one another knight To play for overall good of one's team To play for the team not for any personal glory To seek nothing before honor Ever strive to play hard and fair  Practice hard and most diligently To grant hospitality and friendship to anyone, each according to his ability (team work) Whether in victories or in defeat, be good sportsmen Obey the instructions of your coaches.