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Cranford PAL Cheerleading (4th-8th Grades) 2025

The Cranford Police Athletic League was founded in 1981 and services over 800 children in our community. Cranford PAL Cheerleading is a wonderful opportunity for athletes from 4th to 8th grade to learn the fundamentals of cheer, dance and stunting. Our goal is to help our cheerleaders develop confidence and leadership skills plus town-wide spirit, while emphasizing the importance of good sportsmanship and a healthy lifestyle. Our program encourages each cheerleader to have fun, do their best and to represent Cranford in a positive manner.

Registrations will be completed ONLINE for the Fall 2025 Season. Cheer is offered for Cranford residents who will be entering 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade this year. No prior experience is required!

Uniforms are required for each athlete. The uniforms are approx. $200 and include the shell top, skirt, (2) glitter bows, dri-fit turtleneck, bloomers, fittings, distribution, and shipping costs. Sneakers and socks will need to be purchased on your own. Individual uniform pieces are also available a la carte should you be missing a piece from last year or outgrew a piece from last year.

Uniform Sizing Kit available in-store for fittings: Early July

Last Day to order Uniform/Uniform Pieces (uniform top & skirt): Tuesday, July 15th

Orders available in-store for pickup: Early September

PARENT MEETING: There will be a mandatory parent meeting held the second week of JULY.

PRACTICE INFORMATION: Please be advised of the following schedule for your daughter’s respective grade. We expect attendance at ALL practices and games. Without your full participation, we cannot allow them to do certain skills safely.

The Summer Practice Season STARTS on Wednesday, August 6th and ends on Thursday, August 28th at the back field of Orange Avenue School from 6:30-8:00PM. ALL GRADES WILL PRACTICE THE SAME DAYS IN THE SUMMER!

Their summer practices will be the following days: 8/6, 8/7, 8/13, 8/14, 8/27, 8/28.

The Fall Practice Season STARTS on Monday, September 8th and ends on Thursday, October 30th PENDING added games/playoffs/cancellations/reschedules. Everyone should anticipate the season to end by Sunday, November 16th.

4th and 5th Grade will practice on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00PM at Hillside Avenue School. Their fall practices will be the following days: 9/8, 9/10, 9/16, 9/15, 9/17, 9/22, 9/24, 9/29, 10/1, 10/6, 10/8, 10/13, 10/15, 10/20, 10/22, 10/27, 10/29. (unless school is closed)

6th, 7th, and 8th Grade will practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-8:00PM at Hillside Avenue School.

Their fall practices will be the following days: 9/9, 9/11, 9/16, 9/18, 9/23, 9/25, 9/30, 10/2, 10/7, 10/9, 10/14, 10/16, 10/21, 10/23, 10/28, 10/30. (unless school is closed)

WHAT TO BRING/WEAR: Girls are to wear athletic sneakers (no Converse, Nike Dunks, or flip-flops), and must have their hair pulled back off of face. No jewelry, gum, or candy of any kind is allowed for safety reasons. Your daughter must bring a water bottle to each practice. CELL PHONES/SOCIAL MEDIA ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BE USED DURING PRACTICES/EVENTS UNLESS THERE IS AN EMERGENCY. If your participant requires a uniform, contact Cougar Headquarters immediately to discuss trying on and ordering uniforms.

Once registration has ended, you will get a welcome email from the Cheer Directors and their Coaches explaining everything for the season .

Thank you and GO COUGARS!

Emily Fuentes Cheerleading Director

Melissa Hoffman and Abbey Dwyer Cheerleading Coordinators

Cranford PAL Cheerleading (4th-8th grade)

Registration closes on 07/10/2025 at 10:40 PM
Season Dates: 08/06/2025 to 11/09/2025

$100.00

+ Register Now

Cranford PAL Tackle Football (4th-8th grades) 2025

Thank you for registering your child for the 2025 PAL Tackle Football Program. Please take a few moments to read the following in preparation for the season, beginning in August of 2024.

IMPORTANT PARTICIPATION/EQUIPMENT/PLAYING TIME INFORMATION:

1. All parents are required to volunteer their time for the program. At all home games, all levels of teams will be required to have their parents volunteer for the snack stand along with several other volunteer positions available: Team Manager, Game day chains and markers, etc. Volunteers that will be in contact with our youth will need to have background checks.

2. Below please find the minimum equipment requirements that your players will be responsible for supplying:

-Mouth piece

-Cleats

-4th through 8th Graders- Jock strap or Compression shorts with cup

3. Below please find the equipment that will be provided by Cranford PAL:

-Helmet with chin strap

-Shoulder Pads

-Practice Pinnie

-Game Jersey

-4th through 8thth Graders - Game/Practice Pants players need to have a jock strap or compression shorts with a cup)

Equipment is property of the Cranford PAL and must be returned to the Cranford PAL at the completion of the season, or when the Program Director or Coaches request the equipment. Failure to return equipment shall result in a monetary fine (replacement fee) and may result in the denial to participate in future programming. PAL equipment, including jerseys, may be worn when the Program Director of Coaches allow - but any PAL participate wearing a PAL Jersey (on or off the field or outside of practice/game days) is subject to the Sportsmanship Policy.

4. All eligible players will play a minimum number of plays per game.

5. After registration is completed, an email notification will be sent regarding uniform/equipment distribution.

PRACTICE INFORMATION: Practices will begin August 11th. Most practices may vary from team to team, but once school begins, there will be two (2) practices per week (per team) as well as a Saturday practice. Games are traditionally held on Sundays. The full schedule will be finalized in late August/early September after coordinating with the New Jersey Suburban Youth Football League (NJSYFL). Visit www.njsyfl.com for information and details about the league the Cranford PAL participates in.

CONCUSSION INFORMATION: The Cranford PAL takes the safety of our players seriously. Our football coaches are trained in the USA Football Heads-Up Programming that closely monitors our player's health with regards to signs and symptoms of a concussion. For more information, we encourage parents and participants to visit the USA Football link here regarding concussions: https://usafootball.com/programs/heads-up-football/youth/

Thank you for registering!

Chris Coccaro

Football Director, Cranford PAL

Cranford PAL Tackle Football (4th-8th Grades) 2025

Registration closes on 07/10/2025 at 12:00 AM
Season Dates: 08/11/2025 to 11/09/2025

$250.00

+ Register Now

Cranford PAL Flag Football (1st-3rd Grade) 2025

Thanks for your interest in Cranford PAL Flag Football!

The Cranford PAL Flag Football is an instructional introduction to the game of football. Each coaching staff works intricately with your youth athlete on the field to discuss the fundamentals of playing football. As it implies in its name, PAL Flag Football is a TACKLE-FREE game that uses flags instead of tackling. League provided soft shell helmets and shoulder pads are utilized to ensure that our athletes remain safe on the field.

Our sessions are from 8:30-10am on Saturday mornings at the Memorial Field Complex at 59 Myrtle Street in Cranford starting in early September. 1^st and 2^nd grade work together on one half of the field while third grade works separately on the other.

We start our sessions with group stretching, progressing to drills that emphasize skills including hiking, handoffs, throwing, catching and flag pulling.

Following skill drills the 3^rd graders work on offensive and defensive plays. They follow with a scrimmage incorporating what they learned during drills.

The 1^st and 2^nd graders break into groups of 6 or 7 called pods and work on offensive plays. With the remaining time the pods scrimmage against one another. Their fields are sideline to sideline 20 yards wide.

We need 1^st and 2^nd grade volunteers to coach. You will complete a PAL background check and a 1 hour USA football training session online. We need 12 volunteers for these roles for next season. No football background necessary. I have worked with the 1^st and 2^nd graders now for 4 seasons and enjoy watching them progress in their skills sets and gain confidence in themselves. It’s a great experience! Please consider checking the volunteer coaching box when you sign your child up.

The Cranford PAL Flag Football Program is happy to announce it is continuing its fourth year in its partnership with the former NFL players at NATIONAL FLEX FOOTBALL (NFX). With this partnership, we are integrating their Flex Football™ program into our flag football program and creating one of the safest new sports programs in this region for your child(ren). Flex promotes safety, progression, and player development. FlexGear™ by Rocksolid will be worn during gameplay and will be purchased by the PAL to further enhance the safety of our kids. The equipment will be a soft-shell helmet and soft-shell shoulder pads worn under their pinnies. Increased safety equipment is a growing trend in youth sports, and we are proud to be at the cutting edge of providing this for your children during the fall season.

PRIOR TO REGISTERING, PARENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO VISIT OUR FLAG (FLEX) FOOTBALL EQUIPMENT SIZING CHART PAGE TO DETERMINE THE PROPER SIZING OF YOUR PARTICIPANT'S EQUIPMENT. TO SEE THIS CHART, YOU MAY VIEW IT UNDER THE "OUR SPORTS PROGRAMS" TAB

Cranford PAL Flag Football (1st-3rd Grade) 2025

Registration closes on 07/10/2025 at 12:00 AM
Season Dates: 09/01/2025 to 11/01/2025

$100.00

+ Register Now

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CRANFORD P.A.L.

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Cranford PAL Cheerleading (4th-8th grade)

Cranford PAL Tackle Football (4th-8th Grades) 2025

Cranford PAL Flag Football (1st-3rd Grade) 2025

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