- Learn and develop advanced football skills

- Practice good sportsmanship and citizenship skills

- Learn, develop and practice leadership skills

- Achieve personal and team goals in a team environment

- Develop positive self esteem and physical conditioning

- Make friends and meet peers

- Have a positive football experience

- Have Fun !!!!!

We also believe that there are areas in a player's life that are more important than sports and football. So we will always defer to the importance of commitments to family, school and religion.

THE WOLVERINES PHILOSOPHY IS:

LIMIT THE TEAM ROSTER TO A MANAGEABLE SIZE.. TO ALLOW MORE GAME TIME FOR PLAYERS

EQUITABLE PLAYING TIME FOR ALL PLAYERS DURING REGULAR SEASON GAMES TO DEVELOP FOOTBALL SKILLS IN A COMPETITVE ENVIRONMENT..

WE ARE COMMITTED THAT ALL WOLVERINES WILL PLAY IN ALL REGULAR SEASON GAMES, NO BENCH QUEENS ON THIS TEAM.

OPEN AND TRANSPARENT COMPETITION FOR ALL POSITIONS…NO RESERVED POSITIONS FOR VETERANS OR RETURNING PLAYERS

LEARN MULTIPLE SKILLS… IN POSITIONS YOU REQUEST

FOCUS ON SKILLS DEVELOPMENT THROUGH PROGRESSIVE LEARNING

MENTORING TECHNIQUES USING POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT & CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

LEARNING/TEACHING ATMOSPHERE, TEAM BUILDING AND TEAM SKILLS

THE WOLVERINES PROMISE

THE WOLVERINES HAVE, SINCE OUR INCEPTION, ALWAYS HELD THAT A PLAYER CAN ONLY IMPROVE HIS SKILLS IF AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY. HENCE THE "WOLVERINE PROMISE"

"THE WOLVERINES COMMIT THAT EACH AND EVERY PLAYER WHO WEARS THE WOLVERINE UNIFORM WILL PLAY IN ALL EXHIBITION AND REGULAR SEASON GAMES, ACCORDING TO HIS COMMITMENT, DESIRE, HUSTLE AND ABILITY."

What does this promise mean?

THE PROMISE MEANS THAT IF YOU PLAY FOR OUR CLUB, YOU WILL PLAY IN EACH AND EVERY REGULAR SEASON GAME, ACCORDING TO YOUR;

Commitment.. MEANS THE LEVEL OF "BUY-IN" THAT YOU DISPLAY TO THE PHILOSOPHY THAT ALL PLAYERS MUST FIRST AND FOREMOST HAVE THE INTERESTS OF THEIR TEAMATES AND TEAM AT HEART. THIS MEANS THAT YOU DO NOT MISS PRACTICES OR GAMES, OR BE LATE FOR PRACICES OR GAMES, WITHOUT AN ACCEPTABLE REASON AND WITHOUT CALLING COACHES BEFOREHAND .Commitment MEANS THAT THE GOALS OF THE TEAM ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE GOALS OF AN INDIVIDUAL PLAYER. IN OTHER WORDS WHEN YOU SPELL "TEAM", THERE IS NO "I".. Commitment MEANS THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO DO WHATEVER IS REQUIRED TO BETTER YOURSELF BY UPGRADING YOUR SKILLS AND ABILITIES, BY LEARNING, AND WORKING HARD FOR THE BENEFIT OF YOURSELF AND THE TEAM.

Desire.. IS, IN SOME WAYS, A QUALITY THAT IS HARD TO QUANTIFY. HOWEVER, IT BECOMES VERY EVIDENT TO A COACH EARLY IN CAMP WHO HAS IT AND WHO DOESN'T. Desire DOES NOT HAVE TO BE LOUD AND "RAH-RAH", SOMETIMES IT CAN BE A FIERCE, QUIET DETERMINATION TO EXCEL. BUT Desire IS AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY FOR A FOOTBALL PLAYER.

Hustle.. THIS ONE IS EASY. ARE YOU ALWAYS EAGER TO PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE? ARE YOU ONE WHO NEVER TAKES A PLAY OFF? ARE YOU ONE WHO LISTENS TO THE COACHES WITHOUT CHATTERING? ARE YOU ONE TO BE FIRST IN THE HUDDLE, THE ONE WHO PITCHES IN TO CARRY EQUIPMENT ON AND OFF THE FIELD WITHOUT BEING ASKED? IF SO, YOU DISPLAY Hustle.

Ability.. WE BELIEVE THAT Ability IS THE LEAST IMPORTANT OF THE ABOVE QUALITIES. ALMOST ALL THE PLAYERS OF LESSOR SKILLS ARE TAUGHT TO BECOME GOOD FOOTBALL PLAYERS. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS.

WE WILL NOT PUT A PLAYER INTO A POSITION WHERE HE IS OVERMATCHED. TO DO SO IS VERY GOOD RECIPE FOR SERIOUS INJURY. SUCH AN UNJURY COULD HAPPEN TO THE PLAYER HIMSELF, OR TO ANOTHER PLAYER WHO MAY DEPEND UPON HIM TO PREFORM A CERTAIN FUNCTION (i.e. a block). WHEN THAT FUNCTION IS NOT PREFORMED CORRECTLY, INJURY TO ANOTHER PLAYER COULD RESULT . THEREFORE, WE WILL NOT PLACE A PLAYER IN THAT POSITION UNTIL HE HAS DEMONSTRATED HIS Ability TO HANDLE THAT JOB.

WE WILL ALWAYS ATTEMPT TO PUT PLAYERS IN A POSITION WHEREBY THEY HAVE THE BEST CHANCE TO SUCCEED. THIS BUILDS CONFIDENCE, ESPECIALLY IN THE ROOKIES. COMMON SENSE THEREFORE MUST DICTATE THAT A CERTAIN PLAYERS OF VARIOUS SKILL LEVELS AND ABILITIES WILL BE ACCORDED PLAYING TIME THAT REFLECTS THESE SKILLS AND ABILITIES.

What does the Promise NOT mean?

THE PROMISE DOES NOT MEAN EQUAL PLAYING TIME.

FOOTBALL IS NOT LIKE OTHER SPORTS. IN SOCCER OR HOCKEY, FOR INSTANCE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO "HIDE" PLAYERS OF DIFFERENT SKILL LEVELS BY PLAYING THEM AT CERTAIN POSITIONS. IN FOOTBALL, IF YOU DO THIS, YOU ARE ASKING FOR AN INJURY. THEREFORE EVERYONE ON THE FIELD HAS TO KNOW HIS JOB.

WE DO NOT PROMISE "EQUAL" PLAYING TIME. NO FOOTBALL TEAM CAN. IF THEY DO THEY ARE NOT BEING HONEST.

INSTEAD, WE PROMISE "FAIR" PLAYING TIME. THAT TIME WILL BE DETERMINED BY THE CRITERIA THAT HAVE BEEN OUTLINED ABOVE, AND WILL BE DIFFERENT FOR EVERY PLAYER, IT WILL BE "FAIR" TO THE PLAYER, HIS TEAMMATES AND THE TEAM.

The promise does NOT mean playing time in the playoff games.

DURING PLAYOFFS, THE COACHES WILL PLAY THOSE PLAYERS THAT HAVE CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED, Commitment, Hustle, Desire and Improved Ability THROUGH THE ENTIRE YEAR AND THAT THEY BELIEVE WILL GIVE THE TEAM ITS BEST CHANCE OF WINNING THE GAME AND ADVANCING FURTHER TOWARD OUR TEAM'S SEASON GOAL OF BEING DECLARED THE BANTAM FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS OF B.C.

IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT BANTAM FOOTBALL IS 'REP' FOOTBALL. WE DO NOT BELIEVE THIS IS 100% TRUE; WE WILL ACCOMMODATE PLAYERS OF ALL SKILL LEVELS, AND FIND A WAY FOR THEM TO SUCCEED ON THE FIELD. THIS IS NORMALLY THE FUNCTION OF A "HOUSE LEAGUE' PROGRAM, NOT A 'REP' PROGRAM. HOWEVER, BANTAM FOOTBALL IS A 'REP' PROGRAM IN THAT WE COMPETE FOR A PROVINCIAL TITLE. ALSO, WE WILL, IF NECESSARY CUT PLAYERS, 'HOUSE' PROGRAMS DO NOT DO EITHER OF THESE THINGS.

AND IN CONCLUSION;

THE WOLVERINES WILL DO ANYTHING THAT IS WITHIN OUR POWER TO ENSURE THAT ALL PLAYERS HAVE A POSITIVE FOOTBALL EXPERIENCE. WE UNDERSTAND THAT A ROOKIE WHO HAS NEVER PLAYED BEFORE MAY BE FRUSTRATED OR INTIMIDATED BY HIS INEXPERIENCE. WE CAN ONLY ENCOURAGE HIM TO HAVE PATIENCE. PLAYERS MOVING UP FROM JR BANTAM OR SECOND YEAR PLAYERS MAY RECEIVE MORE PLAYING TIME; AGAIN, SEE THE ABOVE CRITERIA. USE YOUR ROOKIE YEAR TO LEARN THE GAME, AND TO GET USED TO WHAT FOOTBALL IS ALL ABOUT(READ THE SECTION ON COMMITMENT!!) WE BELIEVE THAT, IF YOU TREAT YOUR ROOKIE SEASON AS THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE THAT IT IS, YOU WILL FIND THE EXPERIENCE REWARDING…