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President’s message

WELCOME BACK FOOTBALL FANS!!! After a frustrating year of no football, we are happy to see all of our coaches, team staff and student-athletes return to the gridiron! That said, we must remain diligent to everyone’s health and safety. All coaches MUST have taken and passed their safety courses (Making Headway, Safe Contact, etc.). Each team MUST have a Safety Person (he/she is required to be a Certified Athletic Therapist or equivalent or is required to take the Football Alberta Safety Person course by the start of the season). Teams are also asked to continue to sanitize equipment before and after practices and games. The CAFL follows all recommendations from Alberta Health and Football Alberta (see below for greater details on COVID safety measures). We understand that things change from week to week and we continue to ask (and thank you) for your patience and your understanding. 

In other news, we now have two separate divisions: a 12-a-side and a 9-a-side division. The three Red Deer teams will be playing in the 12-a-side division while the rest of the league will be in the 9-a-side division. We invite everyone to come out and watch this new take on this great game.

We wish everyone a fantastic and safe season!

Thank you.

– Martin Rheaume, CAFL President

Football Alberta’s Restrictions Regarding COVID-19 Mitigation this Fall

As of September 3, 2021 there are new Health Orders from the Provincial Government regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic. For football we will still continue as business as usual with the following restrictions:

• Most municipalities and/or school boards will already have requirements for masks on bussing or any other type of enclosed group transportation. Whenever you travel as a team in those situations, masks are worn as a precaution.
• In other locations such as locker rooms, as it is an indoor enclosed space all personnel are to wear masks while teams are meeting and/or changing. This would also apply to officials locker rooms and trainers rooms.  All teams meetings should be conducted on-line (i.e. Zoom) whenever possible.
• All outdoor activity will not be subject to mask wearing but Physical Distancing should be practiced where possible. This may require larger spaces on the sideline for benches during games and increased usage of the field for practices. As well, please give some consideration to doing your pre-game speech and half time adjustment meetings outside in the end zones if weather permits
• Now that the season is well underway we would recommend an alternative to post game handshakes be used. Whatever recognition of the other team in the spirit of sportsmanship that can be used would be eminently preferable to shaking 50 peoples hands.  Waves, elbow bumps, three cheers, are suggestions you may consider.
• Pre-screening apps that have the player indicate how they are feeling on any particular day are in use with several teams and are recommended going forward. If nothing else, it can ensure that anyone not feeling well declares as such and does not return to a practice or game until they feel better. 
• Sanitizing all communal equipment (i.e. blocking dummies and footballs) at the conclusion of each practice is still recommended.