Thank you for showing interest in our Upward Program. The sports that we offer are Flag Football and Cheerleading in the fall. See details below! For more updates, be sure to follow us on social media.
Key Dates
- May 1 - Registration Opens
- August 21 - Registration Deadline
- September 1 - Coaches Training
- September 10 - Upward Kickoff
- September 12-15 - First Practices
- September 19 - Ref Training
- September 24 - First Game
- November 5 - Last Game
ABOUT UPWARD
Upward gives kids a positive, Christ-centered environment to learn about sports and competition, along with biblical truth. First Baptist Rogers is excited to offer kids from kindergarten through fifth grade the opportunity to play Flag Football and Cheer in the fall. Registration is $99.00 per child. To learn more about the ministry and history of Upward, please visit upward.org
New This Year!
If you have any special requests for your child (carpool, practice night, coach request, etc.), please fill out a special request form below. This does not replace the registration to participate. All football and cheerleaders will have one game a week on Saturday mornings, and one practice a week on either Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday. We do our very best to place siblings on the same practice night unless you specify on the request form on the request form below. All requests need to be turned in by August 21 to be considered. Thank you for playing with us this season.
Flag Football
|
Our flag football program, a growing alternative to full-contact football, teaches young athletes the basic skills and concepts of the game. Through Christian coaching and teaching, we hope the young athletes taking part in flag football not only grow in their skills on the field but also develop as strong athletes of character.
If you would like to volunteer with Upward, please register below. |
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a huge part of sporting events at all levels of play. When athletes need encouragement and fans need entertainment, cheerleaders can take your sports experience to another level. Cheerleading adds excitement and spirit to any Upward game day. As young women grow in their cheering skills, we desire to help build them up as young women of character.
Cheerleading is open to children from kindergarten (age 5) through fifth grade.
If you would like to volunteer with Upward, please register below.
To view the Coach's guide, click here:
Coach's Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
PRACTICES
PRACTICE TIMES
- Practices are one hour on Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday from 6:00pm-
7:00pm. - During the registration process, you will have the opportunity to exclude one of the above nights as an available option for your child and list a friend that is in the same grade to be on their team.
We will do our best to accommodate both requests. - Your team will be given a specific night and field location at the coach’s
training. The practice night and field location will remain the same
throughout the season. - We DO NOT make up missed practices unless otherwise stated by the
League Director.
PRACTICE FIELDS
- Our Upward fields are located on our church
campus across from the fire station on
Bellview Road. - Each team will have half of a field to
practice on. - Fields are labeled A and B. The half of the field
closest to the Greenway is A and the half
closest to Bellview is B.
UPWARD INTERNS:
- We have student Upward interns that help our Kids Ministry Team run
practices. These interns can assist you in your equipment needs, they can
sub in as a coach, and answer most questions. These
interns are part of our paid staff. If you have any concerns regarding our
interns, please email us at
GAME DAY
- Games are held on Saturday mornings. You will
find game schedules on the side of the
concession stand as well as on your team website. - We cannot guarantee that your child will have a specific game time. Game times will vary based on grade, and my alternate every week.
- All teams should arrive 15 minutes before their game to warm up.
- The Upward Staff will be walking around on game day in yellow vests to
help you with any questions or concerns
RUN-THROUGH
- We will begin each game by running through our Upward inflatable
tunnel. - Gather your team behind the run-through and wait for your team name to
be called. We will call all teams in grade order from youngest to oldest. - When your team's name is called, you will run out of the tunnel with your
team and head to your field.
REFEREES
- We recruit student referees each year to help us on game days.
- Referees go through a one-hour training prior to the season and will begin
each game with a 15-minute recap of the rules and game structure. - Referees run our games for us. They will be trained to keep the game
moving and to spot basic penalties. - Referees will start every game with a huddle and prayer. Please introduce
yourself to the refs on your field prior to the huddle. - Our refs will not start off the season calling every penalty just so kids can
have a chance to learn the fundamentals of the game. As the season
progresses, you will find that the rules will become more strictly enforced
as kids begin to understand them. - Please show our refs grace. It is difficult to catch all penalties, and
refereeing becomes more difficult when placed under the pressure of
coach's and parent's expectations. - Remember, people are always watching. The way you respond to refs will
be reflected in the way the players respond to refs. We want
to demonstrate good sportsmanship on and off the field for the duration of the season. - If you see a consistently missed call amongst all refs and/or you would
like to help us ref this season, please email us at
UNIFORMS
- Players will wear the uniform given to them by Upward.
o Uniforms are reversible!
o Home team will wear the dark color
o Away team will wear the light color
o Cleats are recommended in our league, but not required. - Coaches should wear their coaching shirts on game days.
