TYFA sets age requirements on volunteers based on the title they will be given in the TYFA Web App for certification. It is considered that the title determines their job for the season.

• • President, VP, and Athletic Director requires an 18+ year old

  • Football Director, Football Head Coach or Football Coach requires an 18+ year old

  • Cheer Director, Cheer Head Coach or Cheer Coach requires an 18+ year old

  • Team Manager or Photographer requires an 18+ year old

  • Football Trainee is 14 to 17 years of age

  • Cheer Trainee is 15 to 17 years of age

The age cutoff is 8/1/current year.

Waivers will not be given for a volunteer who misses the cutoff by any length of time.

TYFA will not make an exception because an organization or head coach did not know the policy.

AGE: As discussed above.

CERTIFIED: Must be certified by TYFA or they cannot participate. 

DISCRIMINATION: TYFA does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, national origin, disability (within reason), or sexual orientation.

DUAL PARTICIPATION

• • Dual Participation is not enforced during spring.

  • IMPORTANT

    • • Effective 2025, Volunteers are no longer subject to the dual participation restrictions of volunteering in TYFA and another competing league. They still cannot be on more than one TYFA organization.

Hiatus & Money and Equipment Hold - Volunteer must not be on hiatus or have a money or equipment hold. Refer to these two policies for more information.

Organizations are free to add as many volunteers to their roster as they see fit.

Volunteers are not assigned to individual teams. This allows them to assist with multiple teams when necessary.

Only volunteers with a Football Director, Football Head Coach, Football Coach or Football Coach Trainee can coach the players. 

Only volunteers with a Cheer Director, Cheer Head Coach, Cheer Coach or Cheer Coach Trainee can coach cheerleaders.

Team Managers are there to support the team on the sideline and Photographers are there to take video or pictures.

Flag (5u) must have at least one (1) coach on the field and at least one (1) non-trainee volunteer on the sideline.

Tykes (7u) must have at least one (1) coach on the field and at least one (1) non-trainee volunteer on the sideline. If there is not a valid volunteer for the sideline, the coach on the field must come to the sideline.

Rookies (9u), Juniors (11u) and Seniors (13u) must have at least one (1) coach on the sideline. 

Without the minimum number of eligible volunteers during a game, the referees will declare a Class B or C Forfeit. 

• • E.g., there is one coach on the sideline of a 9u game and he gets ejected. The game is declared a forfeit.

Players may never be allowed on the sideline unattended. Coach Trainees are minors and do not count as sideline supervision.

IN GENERAL, if a volunteer was certified with a different organization the previous fall, they are on Hiatus unless they get a release from TYFA. Refer to the Hiatus Policy.

If a volunteer is released to go to a specific organization and they change their mind or something happens that they cannot, the volunteer will be placed back on Hiatus.

If a volunteer is not on Hiatus, once an organization has entered data for the volunteer in the WebApp and the Volunteer has tarted or allowed the organization to start to complete the required tasks to be certified, movement to another organization must be requested. 

TYFA will require the volunteer to REQUEST a transfer. These transfers are not guaranteed.  [REQUEST TRANSFER]. Form can also be found on Volunteer.tyfa.com

 TYFA will review:

• Is Money or Equipment owed

• Has the volunteer switched organizations once already during the season (only one switch is possible)

• Was there any Tampering

• How many TYFA members are between losing organization and the potential gaining organization

• Why does the volunteer want to switch, Where do they want to go and When

This list is not all inclusive of the different situations TYFA will look at when deciding if a move is possible.

TYFA has the right to make sure rostering of volunteers is above board and fair.

Once games have started movement of volunteers is denied in most cases with little to no exceptions. Once mid-season arrives, denials increase.

If a volunteer becomes certified with an organization, then the hiatus will take effect for any movement to another organization.

Volunteers can be added all season long until the last regular season game is played.

These additions should not be on the sideline of a game until they are certified as they would be considered illegal which will bring about forfeits, and the head coach will be charged with rules violations.

While volunteers can be added late, they still must be certified and follow the dress code.

An organization is free to remove any volunteer from their rosters for whatever reason they choose at any time prior to and during the season.

An organization that terminates a volunteer is releasing them from the Hiatus as a termination is one of the exceptions to the policy.

Organizations should go into their Organization Portal and disassociate the person from their roster. If for some reason cannot, they should contact HelpDesk@tyfa.com to handle it.

TYFA requires a background check each season a volunteer wishes to participate. This is done through the TYFA Web App.

TYFA will not accept a background check run by any other means.

Any person who has been found guilty, pled guilty; or pled no contest, or has a pending charge pertaining to any of the disqualifying offenses listed below will be immediately disqualified from volunteering. A volunteer who willfully fails to comply with this background screening policy shall be automatically disqualified. 

Sex offenses, regardless of the charge level. This includes both those required to be listed on the sex offender’s registry and those with criminal activity that is sexual in nature. 

In addition, any criminal acts involving children/minors, regardless of the charge level.

TYFA reserves the right to deny a participant approval in the event the background check reveals a conviction for a crime that involves violence, regardless of the charge level. TYFA also reserves the right to review some offenses on a case-by-case basis.

Who Needs a Background?

This policy will apply to all board members, football coaches, cheer coaches, team managers and photographers.

If there is any doubt as to which volunteers should be screened, the general rule is anyone who would potentially have unsupervised access to children on a team or in the organization. 

Each volunteer will have his or her background checked seasonally for as long as he or she continues volunteering in TYFA.

TYFA will not perform background checks on any Coach Trainees (aged 14-17); most juvenile criminal records are sealed.

Confidentiality

Information received on a background check will be shared on a “need to know” basis only within the TYFA Senior Executive Board and the volunteer’s organizational board. 

If TYFA does not disqualify a volunteer initially but feels there is something that an organization should review, a copy of the background check will be sent to them.  It will be up to the organization at that time to inform TYFA if they are willing to accept the volunteer.

Accountability

It is important for the integrity of the background-screening program that all organizations comply with the findings that TYFA uncovers during the background screening. 

If a denied volunteer is found participating with an organization, the organization will be charged with a rules violation.

Denied Participation

If a volunteer is denied the ability to volunteer because of a background result, they will be provided with an email stating why, a copy of their background check, and the information needed to dispute the findings if they feel the information is incorrect.

Disputes

If there is a criminal dispute cleared or the applicant believes that they were falsely denied an approval based on false information or a case of mistaken identity, the applicant should contact HelpDesk@tyfa.com and submit a request to appeal. 

Until the dispute is resolved, an applicant's background check remains in violation of the approval criteria, the applicant remains ineligible to participate in volunteer activities at any official TYFA events.

Undiscovered Violations

If a volunteer is granted an approval based on the conducted background check and information is later discovered that would have warranted a denial had the information appeared on the background check, the individual will be denied the ability to volunteer. 

Fraudulent Information

If a volunteer provides fraudulent information for the background check to make sure their check comes back clear, TYFA may, at it s sole desertion, suspend the person indefinitely.

If a team or an organization commits an egregious act such as cheating and is suspended for the remainder of the season by Compliance, all volunteers associated with the team or organization are suspended. 

It will be at TYFA’s sole discretion and approval to allow volunteers who were not involved in the egregious activities to leave the organization and join another TYFA organization. When in the season the suspension happens are factored in.

If a team or an organization decides to leave TYFA for whatever reason prior to certification, after certification or after games have started, it will be at TYFA’s sole discretion and approval to allow volunteers to join another TYFA organization. When in the season the suspension happens are factored in.