Cheerleading History: Youth and Pop Warner Cheering

The idea to start what is now known as the Pop Warner athletic group actually started with a few acts of vandalism! When a factory in Philadelphia was continually vandalized by the local youth, the factory’s owner started an organized football program for the youths to keep them occupied and out of trouble (and to protect his property!). That small idea has grown into the program that we know today as Pop Warner, and that has over 400,000 boys and girls, ages 5-16, participating in the United States. The program started in 1929 and was open to male youths, but cheerleading was added to the program in 1967. The cheerleading division of Pop Warner, open to female youths, grew rapdily, and today even includes pom, dancing and pep squads! A national cheer and dance championship is held at Walt Disney World each year during the annual Pop Warner Super Bowl. One of the unique (and great!) things about the Pop Warner cheerleading program and championships is that all squads are required to maintain their scholastic grades and meet the academic requirements set out by the program! The Pop Warner Little Scholars program was officially incorporated as a national non-profit organization in 1959, to make sure that the youths involved held their educational experience to the same high standards as their athletic performance. Of course, Pop Warner is not the only program for youth cheerleaders. There are several cheerleading gyms that offer programs for youths, and there are even cheer competition divisions for youth teams.