| Banquet Ideas for Your Youth Football Teams | | | | Champion" engraved on it. For certificates, each |
| Team banquets or award ceremonies can be a great | | | | player was designated as: Most Valuable Defensive |
| way to wrap up seasons. There are many ways to | | | | Player, Most Improved Player, Most Valuable |
| do this, here is what worked well for us this season: | | | | Offensive Linemen, etc. A number of players were |
| Two weeks after the season ended we rented the | | | | designated one of our Weekly Character Theme |
| YMCA out for an all-nighter on a Friday night. You get | | | | winners: Perseverance, Compassion, Teamwork and |
| the YMCA from 7:00 pm until 6:30 the following | | | | Selflessness etc. All players aging out of the program |
| morning. Our closest YMCA is just a year old and has | | | | were given a team ring and a Fat Head picture of |
| an indoor pool, several gyms, game room including | | | | themselves or the team. Our academic award |
| Wii, rock climbing wall and more. For $850 the YMCA | | | | winners typically get a Fat Head of themselves as |
| provides life guards from 8:00-10:00 and rock climbing | | | | well. Each player also received a season DVD that |
| guides and a monitor for the night. We paid for this | | | | had highlights from the season, pictures and of |
| out of our concession money and banquet fund. | | | | course full game video of each game they played. |
| The parents and siblings were required to leave at | | | | The video is set to music and the DVD case has the |
| 11:00. Several moms and a dad ended up chaperoning, | | | | team picture and record on it. |
| they had hotdogs, snacks and drinks available for the | | | | Every player is announced and comes up on stage to |
| kids all night and donuts and juice for the morning. | | | | get their awards. As they trot up to the stage we |
| The younger kids finally hit the sack and slipped into | | | | always try and talk a little about what that player |
| their sleeping bags at about 3:00 a.m. while the | | | | accomplished during the season and how they |
| 7th-8th graders stayed up through the night. I'm still | | | | improved. While banquets may seem like a pain, it is a |
| not sure how anyone can play dodge ball for 7 hours | | | | great way to review the season with the kids and |
| straight without your arm falling off. | | | | parents as well as set expectations for the next |
| The following Sunday we did our banquet at the local | | | | season. I promise you this, 20 years from now most |
| Community Center. We had cake and drinks and had | | | | of my kids will still have those trophies in some box |
| all 3 teams along with parents and siblings in | | | | in the attic, but more importantly they are going to |
| attendance. Each player got a 12" trophy and an | | | | remember the season and maybe even playing |
| awards certificate with their team picture on it. All 3 | | | | dodge ball all night at the YMCA. Isn't that what we |
| of our teams finished as runners up in their | | | | are in this for, to build great memories and help |
| respective divisions, but combined at 24-4, we had | | | | create a love and appreciation of the game in our |
| the best record in our league. So each player's trophy | | | | youth football players? |
| had his name, team record and "Presidents Cup | | | | |