Hello everyone!

Julie and Amanda spent several hours this morning and afternoon finalizing the fall rosters. As always, there are coaches and players that did not return from previous seasons so we tried to accommodate as many coach/player requests while still giving all players equal consideration and keeping teams even. Please do not ask to be moved unless it is an emergency need. 

We are still in need of head coaches for our kindergarten teams so if anyone is interested, please reach out to Amanda at cyfl.footballsecretary@gmail.com. 

Coaches - if you have not already, please send Amanda your practice days/times so she can assign you a field. We cannot use Field 4 until next spring and Field 5 and 6 are off limits until later in the season so most teams will have to share field space. Right now, I have a lot of Tuesday/Thursday practices so if you are on the fence about what days you want to practice, I encourage a Monday/Wednesday combo! :) We can start practicing at Cosmo the week of July 28th. We will be sending a Sign Up Genius to tackle teams to register your team for equipment handout. Coaches MUST be present at equipment handout as Julie and Amanda are not trained in how to fit equipment. Flag coaches can stop by during those times to grab their coaching bags. We implemented game specific flags at the end of last season and that went really well so the flags you are given will be for practices only. We will use the game specific flags for games this fall. 

If you have any other questions, please let us know!

Here is information about our Spring 2026 season...

Spring 2026 Season Dates and Changes – We have been given permission from Columbia Parks and Rec to start using the field sooner in the spring so we can have a longer flag season. See the Spring 2026 schedule below. One change that Columbia Parks and Rec asked us to discuss was to move away from standings/championships as a recreational program since most other recreational sports in Columbia do not have standings/championships. We discussed this as a board and voted to implement this change with spring flag season only. Starting in 2026, spring flag will be completely recreational and there will be no play-offs or championships. If a team would like to have some competition, we will be hosting a free flag tournament on June 7^th for all CYFL teams that would like to participate. Registration for Spring 2026 will open at the end of December 2025.

Below is the Spring 2026 Schedule:

a.           Registration closes March 20^th

b.           Practices Start March 30^th    

b.           First game April 12^th

c.           Season ends May 17^th

d.           May 31^st will be a rain make-up day

e.           Optional tournament on June 7^th

Here are updates for our Fall 2025 season....

Coaches - If you want to coach in the fall, please let Amanda know ASAP. Coaching is “first come, first serve” so just because you coached a team this spring does not mean you will automatically have one for the fall. If you have never coached before and would be interested in coaching this fall or next spring, please also let Amanda know. We usually need a few coaches every season so all help is appreciated!

Day Dreams Scholarships - If you are applying for a Day Dreams scholarship for the fall, please use the “Day Dreams Applicant” registration so we can register for free while we keep track of everyone. Once approved, we will apply the scholarship to the registration and move you to the correct grade to be rostered. If your Day Dreams application is not finished by July 15^th, you will not be approved for the fall season.

Fall 2025 Schedule – Below is the schedule for our Fall 2025 season. Our tackle season will include teams from Jefferson City, Sedalia, and Marshall with games being in Columbia, Jefferson City, or Sedalia. Again, if you plan on coaching a team in the fall, please let Amanda know ASAP.

a.       Registration closes July 15th

b.       Amanda & Julie meet to make rosters July 21st

c.       Practices start July 28^th

d.       Equipment will be handed out the week of August 4^th. Teams will be assigned a time slot for equipment hand-out and coaches MUST be in attendance to assist

e.       Jamboree August 24th – All teams should participate. If you are unable to make it, please let Joe know.

f.        CYFL first game August 31st

g.       Playoffs – October 19th

i.        Championship – October 26^th

Changes to Registration and Coach/Player Requests – We have always tried to keep kids together based on their school district but have allowed for coach/player requests and have tried to accommodate as many as we can. For the past few seasons, we have had an increased issue with disgruntled parents and coaches that are unhappy when their request cannot be completed. As a recreational program, we need to find a balance of maintaining a recreational environment where all players get equal consideration but also honoring rapport and relationships that are built between parents, players, and coaches. We discussed this as a board and voted on some changes that we will be implementing starting this fall.

Flag coaches – coaches can choose 4 kids to be on their team and the rest will be distributed based on school district

Tackle coaches – coaches can choose 11 kids to be on their team and the rest will be distributed based on school district.  

All other coach and player requests outside of this will have to be approved by the board and must be need based (i.e. – cousins wanting to play on the same team, transportation sharing between families, etc…). If a coach/assistant coach has a kid playing on the team, their kid does NOT count toward the request limit. Head coaches should send Amanda their assistant coach staff and player requests to cyfl.footballsecretary@gmail.com no later than July 19^th as rosters will be finalized on July 21st.

Hey everyone! I apologize in advance for the multiple emails coming. We have a lot of information to share and the website limits how much information I can send out at one time in these annoucements so I have broken them up into 3 different emails - end of season notes, Fall 2025 updates, and Spring 2026 updates.

Thank you to everyone for a great spring season and congratulations to all our championship winners! Some housekeeping items and updates for the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 seasons…

Board Meeting – our next board meeting will be during the API Camp on Sunday, 6/29 at 6:00pm at Concessions. Anyone in the league is welcome to attend.

Cosmo Park Updates – As some of you noticed at our games last week, the City is starting construction on bleachers and an updated concession stand for Field 6! Stay tuned to our Facebook page for pictures and construction updates.

Coach Equipment – Coaches, if you have not turned in your flag equipment, please contact Amanda at cyfl.footballsecretary@gmail.com so you can coordinate a time to return equipment. You can also bring it during our board meeting on 6/29.

Free Football Camps – our first two free football camps are this weekend! We will have BSP on Saturday 6/21 from 11am to 1pm and Bellavation on Sunday 6/22 from 10am to 12pm. No registration is needed! All camps will be on Field 6 at Cosmo and participants should bring cleats and a water bottle.

CYFL and Columbia Parks and Recreation are excited to host FOUR free football camps this summer! See attached flyer! All camps will be at Cosmo Park on Field 6. Registration is not needed, but campers should wear tennis shoes/cleats and bring a water bottle. 

We would like to thank API, Bellevation, QB Edge, and BSP for donating their time to help the youth of Columbia!