The North Farmington West Bloomfield (NFWB) VIKINGS are part of the Oakland - Macomb Youth Football Association (OMYFA) football league, consisting of four levels: Flag, Freshmen, JV and Varsity youth Football and Cheerleading squads. We compete against the other eleven teams that make up the OMYFA.
- The flag level is an entry level instructional program that keeps scores, however does not keep official standings.
- The tackle program competes at three levels, Freshman through Varsity, and is based upon age and weight for football and age or grade level for cheerleaders.
- All participants must be 5 by September 1st. It’s not mandatory to take 5 year olds but at their discretion teams may do so.
- Eligibility date for 8-13 year olds will be determined as of 9/1/22.
WEIGHT: With pads on, no helment
|
Team |
Age |
Weight |
|
Varsity |
12-13 |
170lbs max |
|
JV |
10-11 |
145lbs max |
|
Freshman |
8-9 |
125lbs max |
|
Flag |
5-7 |
N/A |
|
Cheer |
5-13 |
N/A |
Additional Information about the NFWB Vikings:
Team Parent *New this season
In 1956, when Farmington and Farmington Township (Hills) were much smaller, a Junior Football team was started. It was named the Farmington Rockets. The founders of this team were Jack Cotton and Russ Thomas. Russ was a long time member of the Detroit Lions. This junior team joined the Jackie Lowther Football League, which Mr. Cotton and Mr. Thomas also had helped organize.
In the early 1960's, the area grew at a very rapid pace, and Farmington Hills became a municipality, separate from the city of Farmington. In 1966, to accommodate all the children who wanted to participate, Ben and Virginia Hudson formed a new team. The North Farmington Missiles were launched. The Missiles' colors became black and gold, with the Rockets maintaining their black and orange. Eleven Mile Road became the unofficial boundary. Ben Hudson was very involved with the football players and Virginia Hudson took charge of the cheerleaders. She made the black skirts by hand, to go with their yellow sweaters.
When the Hudson's sons graduated from the Missiles in 1969, Gordon and Carolyn Muir came into the picture. A neighbor of the Muirs at the time was Wally Hilgenburg, who played for the Minnesota Vikings. As Mr. Hilgenburgbecame more involved in the program the name was changed to the NFWB Vikings, and they adopted the purple, marigold and white colors of the Minnesota Vikings. Once again the cheerleaders' purple skirts were made by hand, and this time they wore white sweaters. Mr. Muir became the first President of the Vikings and stayed in the program for 10 years.
During the 1980's, Jim Sturdy and Dick Lee led the Viking's organization, with Terese Lee being involved heavily with the cheerleaders. It was at this time that Mike Heath came into the picture. During the 1990's, Mike led the organization with the help of Sue Welcome as Cheerleading Director.
During the 1990's, Don Davidson took over the helm as president and steered the ship for almost ten years. His hard work and dedication kept the Vikings engine going and in 2001 handed over the reins to Charles Fleetham. With Charles fortitude and attention to detail, the Vikings started in the new millennium as healthy and successful as ever. Jim Stokas took over the helm in 2003 and continued the NFWB winning ways for 3 years as the Vikings continued to get better and better in the eyes of the OMYFA. Ron Washington, Lynn Williams, Robert Johnson, Trisha Balazovic, and Darren Tatum have led the organization over the past two decades.
The philosophy of the Vikings today is recruiting strong leaders from the younger families of the organization. This has ensured stability and allowed the Vikings organization to grow in several areas without a constant switch in leadership in the areas most important for the development of the organization and most importantly, the development of our children.
As you can see, many people have handed down their knowledge and expertise over the years to make the NFWB Vikings a quality organization. We are a family-oriented organization whose purpose is to promote building skills, cooperation and fun. We do not conduct try-outs. Teams are formed on a first come, first serve basis. We consider each participant a part of the team. Mixing veterans with new participants promotes cooperation and maximizes the learning for all.
The NFWB Vikings' home field is now at The Hawk Community Center (formerly Harrison High School). Prior to moving to the Hawk for the 2021 season, North Farmington High School, was where the team had played since it broke away from the Farmington Rockets in 1965. Throughout the years there are many North Farmington and Harrison High School coaches who have supported and helped their "little brothers and sisters" – the Vikings. We owe them many thanks.
In 1999, the Vikings joined the Oakland-Macomb Youth Football Association (OMYFA). During the 2000 season, a flag team was added to the program and in 2012 the team went undefeated. From 2002 thru 2012, we have enjoyed success in many areas as all of our teams have experienced OMYFA playoff action. In 2007 the Junior Varsity Team captured a Superbowl win and in 2012, the Varsity team reached the Superbowl, with an undefeated season! The 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 seasons brought great success, with all three tackle teams making the playoffs, and the Freshman team making it all the way to the Super Bowl in 2013, the JV team winning the Super Bowl in 2015 and coming in as Super Bowl Runners Up in 2016! The 2017 Season was the best yet, with both the JV and Varsity Tackle Teams winning their Super Bowls at home!! Our cheer teams over the past 10 years have consistently had award-winning seasons, including our Freshman squad that took 2nd in Dance at the 2017 Cheer Off, with most of our varsity girls going on to be successful high school cheerleaders.
If you are interested in becoming a Viking, please see the important information about Registration on our Home Page.
The objective of the NFWB Vikings Youth Football Corporation shall be to implant firmly into the boys and girls of the community the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage and reverence, so that they may mature into well rounded, happy and healthy adults. A further objective shall be to make participation in the game of football and cheerleading as safe as possible by eliminating unsupervised play.
The objectives will be achieved by providing supervised competitive football games. The supervisors shall bear in mind that the attainment of exceptional athletic skill or the winning of games is secondary, and the molding of future men and women is of the most importance.
The Corporation shall bring together concerned adults dedicated to providing a means to fulfill the objective for the benefit of the youth in our community.
- The first four days of practice is for conditioning only. No pads or contact with other players or blocking is allowed. Players beginning practice late must receive a minimum of four (4) days of conditioning before contact is allowed.
- Conditioning is paramount to the safety and success of the program. The unit views conditioning equally with basic football skills. Coaches are required to insure 45 minutes of practice is devoted to conditioning. There is no exception to this rule.
- Each player is entitled to a minimum of four (4) plays per half. A kickoff, punt, or extra point shall be deemed a play. Each player must sit out a minimum of 4 plays in each half.
It is the philosophy of the NFWB Vikings that youth football and cheerleading be positive experiences that result in healthy competition, with emphasis on safety, participation, discipline, commitment, teamwork, and individual growth.
In support of this philosophy, the coaches will place particular importance on the following objectives:
- Teaching and coaching fundamentals
- Practicing and competing as a disciplined team
- Improving individual conditioning, skills, and self-esteem
- Fulfilling commitments to family, schoolwork and the team
- Making the sports of football and cheerleading fun for all involved.
The NFWB is run by unpaid volunteers. The Board of Directors work year round to maintain the program. Coaches devote 200+ hours a year to our program. Every family is expected to volunteer at least four to five (4-5) shifts per year (depending on the number of home games) to help in servicing the organization as helpers and leaders.
Typically it takes about 70 parents to conduct a home game for our teams. The Direct of Volunteer will be responsible for organizing the volunteers. Contact them if you are uncertain about your role as a volunteer.
You will be asked to sign up to volunteer during home game days. No volunteer will be required to volunteer during their child’s scheduled game (so that you can watch your child and enjoy their accomplishments). We ask that Flag Parents volunteer during Freshman games and Freshman Parents volunteer during Flag games. The same is recommended for JV and Varsity.
Volunteer shifts are tracked. Your family will be fined for no call/no show volunteer shifts. The fine will need to be paid prior to the next game. After three no call/no show volunteer shifts, your child will be suspended from playing in the next game, in addition to fines. Refusals to volunteer will result in participant's expulsion from the program. Last but not least, it's our mission to make volunteering fun, plus our kids appreciate it "deep down".
(Note: There will be Leaders assigned to every position to help with better communication and organization during the season).
The following volunteer positions are available:
|
Press Box |
Hot Dog Roast |
Raffle Fundraiser |
Chain Gang |
|
Newsletter |
Apparel |
Parent Watch |
Security |
|
Concessions |
50/50 Raffles |
Banquet |
|
|
Admissions |
Cheerleading Coaching |
Football Coaching |
