Seahawks signs with American Youth Football League, move will give more kids a chance to play

The PAL Seahawks program has joined the American Youth Football League, severing its ties with the Pop Warner Football League for the first time in more than 30 years.

The move was undertaken to better serve kids in the football and dance/cheer programs and to provide more kids with the chance to play.

“The decision to make the move out of Pop Warner was very difficult and emotional,” says Lorraine Woodruff-Long, executive director of PAL. “But we’re very excited. We believe the AYFL will help us expand our programs and include more San Francisco kids, which is really what PAL is all about.”

The new league provides more flexibility in managing the programs, she says, which ultimately will lead to a better playing experience for Seahawks kids.

Children, coaches, and families in both the football and the cheer/dance programs will notice few major changes. The new league offers all five levels of teams and a guaranteed 8-10 games per season against different teams.

One important change, however, will be a registration proceess that is simpler and less restrictive. For example, paperwork with cross-outs/white-outs are not automatically eliminated. In the past, even a minor correction on the registration form might result in a child being denied the opportunity to play.