Fox Valley Pop Warner Football, Inc.
History of Fox Valley Pop Warner Football, Inc.
The program was started in 1973 by a group of area businessmen and football
enthusiasts under the name of “Appleton
Pop Warner Football, Inc.”.
It was the first Pop Warner program in the
state of Wisconsin.
The program began as a single division program
for mainly 6th
- 7th
grade boys weighing between 85 -120 lbs.
In its first season, the program had only four
teams with a total of only about a hundred players.
The games were played in the outfield of the
baseball field at Goodland Field, home of the Appleton Foxes (now Wisconsin
Timber Rattlers).
The site is now the site of Nienhaus Field.
The program continued to grow over the years. During these years, games were played at various high school and middle school football fields in the city of Appleton. The program expanded to two divisions to allow more players within a wider weight range to play.
The 1996 football season had 15 teams playing in 2 divisions
The league expanded to three divisions , which included players ages 10-11. The program then scheduled games at three location every Saturday during the season.
In 2000, the Appleton Pop Warner Board of
Directors began to search for a location where the league could hold all the
league’s football games at one location.
In 2002, after much planning, fundraising and hard work, two football fields and a concession stand were constructed at Plamann Park in Outagamie County.
In 2003, games were first played on the new football fields at Plamann Park. That season the league had 15 teams playing in 3 divisions with 450 players.
In August 2004, the major construction phase of the project was completed and the fields were dedicated to long-term volunteers , John Hennessy and Robert Masiak. The new Pop Warner Football Complex included two football fields with concession stand and paved parking lot.
The 2004 season added 8 and 9 year olds to the
program. There were 27 teams playing in 4 divisions. The
organization changed its name to “Fox
Valley Pop Warner Football, Inc.” to better
describe the area served by the organization.
The 2005 football season had 29 teams playing in 4 divisions.
In 2006 the Challenger League was started to give special needs children the opportunity to play and enjoy the great game of football. This was the first year we sponsored the Punt, Pass and Kick Competition. There were 29 teams playing in 4 divisions.
In 2007, the Mitey- Mite division was added to give more children the opportunity to play and enjoy the great game of football. There were 28 teams playing in 5 divisions. The new Pop Warner storage building was built this year which is a great asset to the program. We moved the equipment out of the Boys and Girls Club this year.
The 2008 football season had 33 teams playing in 5 divisions.
The 2009 football season had 35 teams playing in 5 divisions..
In 2010, field athletic lighting was installed on the two football fields. This season had 40 teams playing in 5 divisions.
The
organization takes pride in maintaining a high quality standard for the program and
continue to provide players with a positive football experience and
great memories of playing youth tackle football.
Challenger Football League
Fox Valley Pop Warner Football, Inc. started a Challenger League in 2006.
The Challenger League is a flag football program for
special needs children. The goal of
the program is to provide a fun-filled and positive experience for special needs
children. The program is offered to
girls and boys ages 6 to 16 with a cognitive, social or physical disability.
Games are non-contact Flag Football and are non-competitive. Parents can
assist their child or ask for a buddy to assist their child.
The Challenger League
provides special needs children the opportunity to play the great game of
football.