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Registration Listing

Cranford PAL Tackle Football (4th-8th grades) 2026

Thanks for your interest in Cranford PAL Tackle Football!

Cranford PAL Tackle Football is a competitive instructional program designed to introduce children to the sport. Our coaching staff works with our athletes to develop a fundamental understanding of the sport and the physical skills involved in playing it. Tackle football involves physical contact. To protect our participants, the Cranford PAL provides the finest protective equipment to our participants. This protective equipment is provided free of charge and must be returned at the conclusion of the season.

PRACTICE INFORMATION: Practices will begin in August. Practice schedules 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 2026 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 players' health with regard 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/

For our program to run efficiently, we need a significant number of parents to volunteer. No football playing or coaching experience is required. Only a desire to help our children grow to love football.

Coaching volunteers must complete a PAL background check and complete a 1-hour USA Football training session online. Please consider checking the volunteer coaching box when you sign your child up.

Thank you, and see you on the field!

Sean Fallon

Cranford PAL Football Director

Cranford PAL Tackle Football (4th-8th Grades) 2026

Registration closes on 08/26/2026 at 12:00 AM
Season Dates: 08/01/2026 to 11/09/2026

$250.00

+ Register Now

Registration Listing

Cranford PAL Flag Football (1st-3rd Grade) 2026

Thanks for your interest in Cranford PAL Flag Football!

Cranford PAL Flag Football is an instructional program designed to introduce children to the sport. Our coaching staff works with our athletes to develop a fundamental understanding of the sport and the physical skills involved in playing it. Flag football does not involve tackling, but sometimes includes incidental contact. To protect our participants, the Cranford PAL provides soft-shell helmets and shoulder pads to be worn during practices and games. This protective equipment is provided free of charge and must be returned at the conclusion of the season.

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

We start our 1st & 2nd grade sessions with group stretching, progressing to drills that emphasize in-game skills, including snapping the football, handoffs, throwing, catching, and flag pulling. Following this skill-building period, players will be separated into teams to compete in actual flag football games for approximately 45 minutes.

While this is going on, our 3rd graders will be on the opposite end of Memorial Field, engaged in our “Transition to Tackle” program. They will divide their time evenly between learning techniques geared towards learning tackle football safely and playing flag games amongst each other.

For our program to run efficiently, we need a significant number of parents of our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders to volunteer. No football playing or coaching experience is required. Only a desire to help our children grow to love football.

Coaching volunteers must complete a PAL background check and complete a 1-hour USA Football training session online. 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 entering its 5th year of partnering 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. 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

Thank you, and see you on the field!

Sean Fallon

Flag Football Program Director

Cranford PAL Flag Football (1st-3rd Grade) 2026

Registration closes on 09/03/2026 at 12:00 AM
Season Dates: 09/01/2026 to 11/01/2026

$100.00

+ Register Now

Registration Listing

Cranford PAL Cheerleading (4th-8th Grades) 2026

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 2026 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.

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

Orders will be available for in store pick-up.

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 5th and ends on Thursday, August 27th 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: 8/5, 8/6, 8/12, 8/13, 8/26, 8/27.

The fall practice season STARTS on Tuesday, September 8th and ends on Thursday, October 29th PENDING added games/playoffs/cancellations/reschedules.

4th and 5th Grade will practice on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00PM at Hillside Avenue School (unless school is closed).

6th, 7th, and 8th Grade will practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-8:00PM at Hillside Avenue School (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 Director and your child’s Coaches explaining everything for the season.

We are looking forward to a great season and can’t wait to see all you accomplish!

Thank you and GO COUGARS!

Coach Abbey Dwyer, Cheerleading Director