Although the calendar says spring, coaches at Lake Nona Youth Sports are already preparing for the fall season of Pop Warner football and cheer by offering a $50 early registration discount. 

Serving the Lake Nona community for more than a decade, Lake Nona Youth Sports is a not-for-profit organization, comprised of volunteer coaches and board members, offering programs in football, cheer, lacrosse, and wrestling for kids ages 5-14. Football coaches are trained through USA Football’s Heads Up Tackling Program,^® a step-by-step protocol that teaches kids how to properly tackle with less helmet contact and ensures that coaches can recognize and prevent heat stress. 

“Although the Junior Lions football season doesn’t officially begin until August, we have plenty of off-season camps and drills planned to keep kids busy all spring and summer,” said Dan Riordan, director of football for Lake Nona Youth Sports and Pop Warner commissioner. “If your child is new to the area or hasn’t previously played tackle football, our coaches will prepare them during our practice sessions to play in a safe environment that allows them to grow as young athletes and experience the excitement of playing in games.”

Part of that game-day enthusiasm includes a cheer squad on the sidelines rooting for the football teams at both home and away games. The Lake Nona Youth Sports cheer program will field six cheer squads with young athletes, ages 5-16, to cheer during the season and have the opportunity to compete in several cheer competitions when football season ends.

“We are very excited to start working on our cheer performances to build on the great progress we achieved last year,” said Brandy Sellers, director of cheer for Lake Nona Youth Sports and Pop Warner cheer coordinator. “We will be hosting several upcoming face-to-face registration events at Heroes Park so we can meet parents, answer questions, and help them complete paperwork.”

In addition to getting young athletes ready on the field, Pop Warner is committed to success in the classroom through the Pop Warner Little Scholars program that requires students to achieve minimum GPA standards in school before they can play sports. The most academically accomplished Pop Warner students are eligible to compete for Academic All-American status through the eight Pop Warner regions, even up to the national level.

“Our athletes learn that teamwork is essential for success, both on the field and in the classroom,” Coach Riordan said. “We need all 11 athletes working on the football field toward a common goal to develop in athletics, and they can apply those same principles to become successful in their future professional and personal lives.”

Riordan and his coaches appreciate when students and parents find the Lake Nona Youth Sports programs a perfect fit for their families. “A parent of an eight-year-old Junior Lion told me her son begged her for two years to let him play football,” Riordan said. “She finally signed him up with our program and was grateful for the strict safety precautions our coaches follow and liked how we make every player feel significant. She told us she’s looking forward to another football season as part of the Lake Nona Pop Warner family.”

The early registration discount is available through May 31 for the Lake Nona Youth Sports football and cheer programs, and registration for the fall season closes on June 30. For more details, visit www.lakenonayouthsports.org.