‘NEWS FLASH’ FC Internationals registration is opening on a new date: 9th October at 9:am

VIEW FC INTERNATIONALS

Coaches Information

Below is all the information you will need to know for our events. From qualifications, rules, age grids etc…

First time heading to a future cheer competition?

We look forward to welcoming you and your programme to our events! Below you’ll find a brief overview of everything you need to know in order to attend our competitions.

Preparing for a competition

Future Cheer follows the IASF level system for cheerleading. Please use the buttons below for more information on the rules and scoring systems in place at our competitions, and which divisions and age groups are available.

If you are new to the IASF level system, feel free to contact us via our contact form to find out which division and level are right for you.

Rules & scoring Information
Divisions & Ages grids

First time heading to a future cheer competition?

All coaches bringing a team to a Future Cheer competition need to hold a recognised in-date qualification. The requirements for qualifications are different for team lead coaches, assistant coaches and junior coaches. Click the button below to view all information regarding requirements for coaches.

Qualification requirements for coaches

if you are a new coach looking to sit a qualification, we recommend Building from the Ground Up

Which Competition should i attend?

We offer a variety of competitions each year, which vary in terms of location, size and divisions offered. All competitions offer divisions for cheer teams, dance teams and cheer stunt groups. View the table below for an overview of our competitions by date, location, sprung floor, and solo & duo availability.

View our competitions

How do i register for a competition?

All our registration is done via the Future Cheer online portal on Ideal-Logic. If you have never registered for a Future Cheer event before, you can create a new account using the link below. Existing coaches can login to their account to register new teams, update athlete information, update qualifications and view scoring information for their teams after an event.

Coaches Login/Sign-up to Ideal-Logic Portal

i’ve reviewed the rules & scoring information. Should i know anything else?

Yes! Make sure to familiarise yourself with our competition rules & procedures, which apply to all teams in all divisions attending our competitions.

Crossovers

Whilst Future Cheer will always try to allow as much time as possible between routines for athletes who crossover, we only guarantee TEN minutes between performance times. Please keep this in mind when making team placements and deciding on uniform & costume changes etc. See the SCUK Age Grid for additional crossover rules & information.

Routine Time Limits
  • Timing will begin with the first choreographed movement or beat of music, whichever comes first – 
  • All Star Elite/University/Masters Cheer – Maximum 2 minutes 30 seconds.
  • IASF Tiny, Mini, Youth, Junior, Senior and Open – Maximum 2 minutes 30 seconds.
  • IASF/University Non-Tumbling – Maximum 2 minutes.
  • IASF Global Cheer – 30 second minimum to 40 second maximum for opening cheer portion; 20 second maximum to move from cheer portion and set up for the music portion; 2 minutes 30 seconds maximum for music portion.
  • Prep/Schools Cheer* – Maximum 2 minutes.
  • *Teams in Schools divisions with routines exceeding 2 minutes but not exceeding 2 minutes 30 seconds will NOT receive an overtime penalty for the 2019-20 season.
  • Novice Cheer – Maximum 1 minute 30 seconds.
  • Dance (all divisions) – Minimum 1 minute 45 seconds. Maximum 2 minutes 15 seconds.
  • Stunt Groups, Partner Stunts & Individuals/Solos – Maximum 1 minute 15 seconds.
Routine Interruption

If your routine is interrupted because of failure of the competition equipment you will be permitted to restart your routine from the beginning. In the event your routine is interrupted because of failure of your equipment, supplies or personnel, you may either continue or withdraw from the competition.

Routine Interruption In the Event of Injury:

Routine Stoppage:
The only individuals that may stop a routine for injury are
– Competition Officials
– Coach from the team performing
– Injured Individual
– Safety/Head Judge

An injured athlete may create a potential safety hazard because of the inability to hold, support, spot or catch. For the safety of all athletes competing, a routine may be interrupted if:
An athlete is clearly injured.
An athlete is questionably injured and does not resume their role in the routine within 5 seconds of questionable injury.
An athlete leaves the competition floor due to an injury.

If a routine is interrupted due to injury, it will be at the Competition Officials’ discretion whether that team will be allowed to perform again at a later time. Athlete Returning to Competition An Injured Athlete may not return to the competition floor unless the competition officials receive clearance from all the representatives listed below:
– Event Medical Personnel attending to that participant
– Parent/Guardian (if present)
– Coach of the competing team/programme
In the event of a suspected head injury, the athlete cannot return to perform without clearance from a licensed medical professional that has training related to head injuries

Substitutions
During the competition weekend, a substitution may be made by an athlete or coach already registered with the same program for the event. An athlete cannot be substituted for an athlete/coach from another program. A substitution cannot be made for a non-registered coach/athlete.
Any substitutions MUST be noted in writing to Event Director Amanda Fairhall. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.
Additional athletes may not be added to the team on the day which would then exceed the number of athletes on the team roster without prior notification to the Event Director. Failure to comply with this will result in a 15 point penalty and may lead to disqualification.
Additional Spotters

Teams may bring their own additional spotters on to the floor. Any additional spotters must be wearing attire that will clearly distinguish them from the athletes on the team. If an additional spotter touches an athlete during a stunt/skill then a penalty of 1 point will be applied to the team’s score.

Please note that the role of additional spotters is solely for safety purposes, not for coaching. Excessive coaching by Additional Spotters (including but not limited to shouting music counts, marking/performing the routine choreography, shouting encouragement to the athletes on the floor) will result in a 1 point penalty.

Uniform Requirements

Future Cheer does not currently enforce the USASF uniform policy however, all uniforms should be appropriate for athletic activity. If you are travelling to compete outside of the UK, please make sure to familiarise yourself with that competition’s uniform policy.

False Roster Information

If a team is found to have provided false information on their roster including (but not limited to) falsifying an athlete’s date of birth, or providing incorrect athlete names on a team roster, this team will be disqualified from the competition. If the discovery of false information happens after an event, the team will be removed from the rankings for that division and the program will receive a one year ban from competing at Future Cheer events, from the date of competition for one calendar year. If a disqualified team was also awarded a bid to The Summit or IASF Worlds at the event they were found to have provided false roster information for, then Future Cheer will revoke this bid in addition to disqualification and/or a one year ban.

Coaches/Primary Contacts have a responsibility to make sure that all roster information is up to date and correct and must be able to provide proof of identity/ID for all athletes if asked by FC Officials. No exceptions will be made to the above policy of disqualification so it is imperative that you make any roster changes prior to the competition and that the team rosters accurately reflect the athletes on the competition floor and their correct ages.

Other Penalties:
If it is proven that athletes are competing/have competed out of division this will result in a minimum penalty of 20 points and may lead to disqualification of the team from the competition.
Unauthorised Photography/Video

Future Cheer reserve the right to refuse anyone from taking photographs and videos at any events and competitions and at any time, to protect the privacy of Athletes, Spectators, Teams and Programs. Also to stop professional photographers from using images for money and personal gain and to protect its own employed photographers and photo system.

At Future Cheer we are happy for you as a parent or teacher to film and take photos of your own children/athletes and teams using phones and amateur camera equipment and camcorders. Future Cheer prohibits the filming of teams that you are not affiliated with or those that you do not have express permission from in advance.

The use of flash photography, continuous flash or any other lighting during competition is prohibited as this can produce glare and be distracting for competitors. This includes small flashes such as (but not limited to) those from a camera phone. Any person using flash photography of any kind will be asked to stop and may be asked to leave the competition halls. Flash photography is allowed outside the competition halls and during awards ceremonies at advised photo opportunities within them.

Professional Camera Lens usage – Use of telephoto/long distance and wide aperture rated professional camera lenses is forbidden at Future Cheer events unless prior consent from Future Cheer Ltd has been given (please see below). This is to comply with our child protection and privacy policy (meaning long distance photos can not be unknowingly taken of other people, especially minors, without their knowledge). The easiest and most effective way to do this is by restricting use of specialist professional photography lens equipment. A definition of this can be found below. Future Cheer reserves the right to determine if equipment falls under this category based on inspection and ask users to desist from usage at any time.

Forbidden professional lens equipment is defined as:

  • Any lens (including non telephoto) with a fixed or zoom focal length over 105mm.
  • Any lens (including non telephoto) with an aperture rating of 2.8 or wider (enabling lower light photography).
  • All professional telephoto lenses regardless of aperture rating (for example canon “white” telephoto lenses, Nikon N telephoto series lenses or similar high end lenses from other brands)

If you wish to use the above professional equipment at Future Cheer events you must apply for a “Photo Pass” and provide a recent (within the last 12 months) enhanced DBS check. Details of this are available on request and is subject to approval by Future Cheer.

Props & Solicitation
Please note that the use of confetti cannons, indoor fireworks and other special effect props are prohibited at Future Cheer events. Use of such items will result in penalties being assessed against the team at a minimum of 20 points.
Soliciting will not be tolerated from outside businesses. This includes Gyms/Programmes approaching athletes/parents from another gym to encourage them to move gyms/programme. Failure to comply may lead to team disqualification, penalties assessed against scores and/or removal from the event.

FAQ’s

On the day of the competition

How do we check in at the competition?

– When you arrive at our event on the day of competition coaches / a few coaches will need to come and check in at the front desk and collect their wristband pass ( you can sign in for other coaches of your program too) . This pass will allow you to gain access to the arenas to view the performances and gain access to warm up.

 

– When you arrive to check in your teams at warmup you will be asked to show your unique QR code that is generated for each event. This MUST be complete to gain access to warm up, any profiles that are incomplete will not be able to enter warm up.

 

– Adding coaches to each event will close 2 weeks before any event for our staff to do all relevant checks and to generate a pass for your coaches. (please see our accepted coaches qualifications and requirements for you to be able to add any new coaches)
* Athletes will not need to check in at warm up.

 

– Before you enter warm up you must sign and check your rosters of each team, If you have any roster changes on the day or athlete swap outs you will need to notify our member of staff at the front desk of warm up for this to be corrected.

 

How does warm-up and holding work?

– You are given a time to check in at warm up, you MUST arrive at this time or a little before, if you miss the check in time there may be a possibility you will lose time on the warm up floor.

 

– When you arrive you will be greeted by one of our staff members who will ask to see your pass and scan all coaches QR codes that are registered under your program.

 

– Once our staff have checked all coaches they will then ask to see and count all athletes and see all athlete passes to each team.

 

– Once you enter warm up you will be navigated by a staff member to each practice mat  where you will get an allocated time slot on each mat ( this can vary at different events due to space available  but we always aim to keep this the same where possible).

 

– Once you have had your practice time in warm up you will be asked to make your way to the exit door of warmup where you will be met with our staff members that will keep you in the holding area ready to check you in and guide you to the next hold. ( this is where you will be held just before you compete, normally 1 team in front of you to compete time).

 

– Soon as the main stage is ready for you our staff will let you know when you can walk onto the main competition floor where you will perform your routine to a panel of judges.

 

– While you are waiting for the announcement of your team the staff in holding will show you the exit of the main stage once you have done your routine.

 

Who can enter the warm-up area?

The warm-up area is restricted to registered coaches and athletes. Warm-up may only be accessed during their allotted time slot.

The following parties CANNOT enter warm up AT ANY TIME.
– parents / guardians or family members of athletes and coaches.
– Team mum’s / dads or any other chaperone that are not registered coaches. ( for teams that are registered in our adaptive ability divisions will need a few chaperones to help your team, please contact FC to guide you through the information you will need for  these chaperones to be added)
– Athletes that are not competing on the team entering warm up.
– Any Babies or children of coaches or athletes. Even if they are in a pushchair or carrier
– No media or photography passes will be allowed in warm up. ( absolutely NO photography and filming is allowed in warmup)

 

Warm-up staff have a register of which coaches and athletes are permitted into warm-up during each time slot and will check attendance at the entrance.

Please note we have members of staff allocated to starting/stopping music in warm-up. Supported music types in warm-up include CDs, lightning port (older iPhone models), USB-C port (newer Androids and iPhones), or the regular headphone jack.

 

Where do we submit our music?

-You now are ask to upload your music onto the  ideal-logic registration system to each team that you have competing. This is to make it easier and less stressful for you coaches on the day. ( must be uploaded a few weeks before the event)
This music will be downloaded to our DJ and music desk in warmup so that it can be ready for when you arrive.

 

-Please note that we still request that a coach or representative is close to the music desk when on the main performance stage incase of any issues we can communicate with the team representative. Coaches will need to give the DJ a clear signal or wave so the DJ can press play.

 

-Please make sure you bring a few copies of music to the event as back up.

 

– When you compete you must present your music to the sound desk by the judging stand at least 1 routine prior to your own team’s performance. Supported music types at events include CDs, lightning port (older iPhone models), USB-C port (newer Androids and iPhones), or the regular headphone jack.

 

Can the team see their performance after competing?

Yes, there will be a replay TV screen by the judges’ table where athletes can re-watch their routine after competing. There is approx. 5 min delay between the broadcast and the performance, so make sure to head directly to the replay TV screen after performing.

 

Can I review scoring/legalities at events?

Yes you can. After your team competes, the Primary Contact on your registration will be notified by email that your scores have been released. You will be able to access your scores directly through the Ideal Logic system that you used to register with us.
After looking at your scoresheet, if you have any questions you can head to our score check area. Our scoring experts will answer your question and if necessary they will review your routine video.
If you receive any legality or point deductions during your routine, your Primary Contact will receive an email notifying you of this. You will be able to review the penalties and if needed, visit our score check area for further clarification.

 

When is awards?

Awards takes place at the end of each session. Check the running order of your event to find out which session you’re in, and what time prizegiving takes place.

If you have any questions regarding coaches qualifications or any of the info above please contact Danielle@futurecheer.net or alternativly Bonnie@futurecheer.net.