With current registrations, we are proceeding as follows:

DAYS & TIMES

FRIDAY night sessions starting at 6pm; Nov 15 practice/scrimmage session, then Friday games Nov 22, Dec 6, Dec 13, Dec 20.

• 6:00pm warm ups. 6:15pm game slots. 7:00pm game slots.

• We pushed Friday from 5pm to 6pm after multiple incoming requests to accommodate Friday traffic & travel.

SUNDAY afternoon sessions starting at 1pm; Nov 17 (practice), then Sunday games Dec 8, Dec 15.

• 1:00pm warm ups. 1:15pm game slots. 2:00pm game slots.

TUESDAY Turkey Bowl starting at 5pm; Nov 26 (the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving on Nov 28).

• 5:00pm / 5:15pm / 6:00pm format.

REGISTRATIONS

We are going to cut off registrations November 1 so if you would like to recruit others to join, please get the word out. While we welcome more players, we need to firm operational matters up as we have already ordered jerseys to account for current & anticipated registrants.  

TEAMS, ROSTERS, FORMATS

Following the constructive feedback from our Oct 13 Exhibition, we want the players to get in as much football and development as possible per session.

The 35-minute game running-clock format of two 15-minute halves and a 5 minute half time worked really well so we will have several sessions when players will have double-headers – meaning two games in a row, or game and skills session. This keeps a very upbeat pace & vibe to gameday, maximizing playing time per session.

Currently, each age group does not have enough players to field six to eight 10-player teams per division for a traditional “one & done” stick with your one team all season format.

As a brand new league, our assumption was that we would NOT have 100 players per age group.

On the other hand, as a new Program, we feel strongly that our focus on development is differentiated and our approach is disruptive compared to our prior experiences in other Charleston flag leagues. Thus, we are ecstatic to be launching with such a meaningful number of players to field three different grade divisions.
 

Importantly, each group has enough players to run a pick-up style season in which players will rotate teams and play more football than prior leagues we have been a part of.   

In the interest of competitiveness and getting in as much football as possible for development, we believe this is a solid if not better format than “one & done” league play or widening the age gap to form imbalanced teams.

For example, we have designed a rotating roster format in which your players first team for the first game will be different than their team in the second game.

This format also mitigates the risk of a team not showing up or having too few players resulting in forfeits – a recurring frustration in other leagues. While players will still be with their friends, they will play one game with each other per a friend request and likely play another game against each other as friends help you get better.

Thus, you player will be assigned to two different teams in their age/grade bands.

After meaningful deliberation, I am quite happy to run this format given its advantages of more playing time, faster-pace of play and competitiveness which is why our first two sessions Friday Nov 15 & Sunday Nov 17 will be used to install a core curriculum across all players.

While coaches are at liberty to run their own plays, we want a common knowledge football IQ base across all players in the Program – a dynamic absent in the flag leagues we’ve been a part of. 

Moreover, I think this format will build Gridiron into a Program with a development and athletic culture far better than the other offerings. Quite simply, I have no intention of being a copy-cat league which is why we are adaptive, developmental and using real football fields and high-school level referees to differentiate the Charleston Gridiron experience.

Schedules, formalities, etc. will be distributed ~November 8.

REFEREES & COACHES

There is a shortage of youth sports referees broadly. We are bearing a meaningful expense to secure SCISAA high school referees but we are doing so given they raise the quality of game play and keep games on schedule as evidenced by their performance at The Oct 13 Exhibition.

Given the level of play for the respective age groups, we will staff the grades 4/5 and grades 6-8 division games with at least one SCISAA referee and the second referee will be either one from SCISAA, Gridiron staff or a volunteer. Grades 2/3 will have either a SCISAA ref or a team of Gridiron staff that has been mentored by the official officials. 

Volunteers include parents and high school athletes. If you would like to volunteer, please reach out as SCISAA refs will mentor both our staff and volunteers. We would greatly appreciate parents stepping in to help build the program and pick up a new craft in doing so.

We can always use more coaches whether heads or assistants. Please reach out, get engaged. Your player’s registration will be comped and if you have someone in your local network that loves youth football we want to meet them.

The current coaching roster includes myself, several parent-coaches deeply involved in both flag & tackle leagues, along with a few Wando football players, Charleston Southern players, and former D-1 athletes who have been on staff for our Clinics.

We have been in contact with The Citadel and welcome their participation once the season ends. Ditto for local high schools Beckham, Oceanside, Porter Gaud & others.

OTHER IDEAS

We are contemplating other matters and would appreciate your help directly or via introductions to those who help make this Program the best experience possible.

CHEER & DANCE – We are in touch with two local dance / cheer / ballet studios but have yet to confirm anything along the lines of sideline cheer & dance.

SPONSORS & PARTNERSHIPS – We are happy to talk collaboration and advertising matters. Such dynamics help offset the cost of running the league and engage better with all intended audiences.

For sure, we would not be an Exhibition and three clinics into a new Gridiron launch without the cooperation and shared vision of D1 East Cooper, Oceanside Collegiate Academy, the facilities staff of CCSD, Myrtle Beach Gridiron and now Rocket Burger. Three claps for all.

FOOD & BEVERAGE – We do not see much upside in providing a hasty mediocre concession stand relative to the effort involved away from football matters. To date we’ve worked fantastically with The Sno Bar and now Rocket Burger is on board.

We welcome ideas, connections, intros both direct & indirect. While outside vendors provide a better game day experience for all, they do have advanced costs to consider which factors into our planning so please be willing to engage with our local partners.  

FWIW - I met the CEO of Gridiron, Scott Dillon who visited Charleston today. Our meeting reinforced we have an incredibly thoughtful national partner who fully appreciates that youth sports is a bottoms up, local, on the ground community effort. Gridiron is making big steps nationally to support us locally IE a better technology platform on the come. Also, do not be surprised if we have  a national sponsor for instance on game day beverages. So if you are say a local bottler, help us beat them to the “punch!”  

PARENT FOOTBALL ORGANIZATION – Our version of the PTO, we welcome any parent willing to help in any way they think they can or if they have an additive expertise, then please reach out. Also, our experience with growing our internet presence has been a costly one relative to economic considerations.

As such, if you would add a bumper sticker to your vehicle or post a yard sign, we would gladly award you with a small reimbursement. Quite simply, we want to keep it personal & local instead of algorithmic.

Thanks for reading this far.

BREAKDOWN, SET, and soon to GO!

Best,

Coach Vic


Victor Cossel
CHARLESTON
GRIDIRON
FOOTBALL
office 843-708-0095