Congratulations to our
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!
MARA’s competitive cheer squad, Blue Reign, placed FIRST in their division at the Reach the Beach Daytona National Cheerleading Championships on March 20, 2021!
For the last three years, our Pop Warner cheer teams have placed First or Second place at local or regional competitions! All 2025 teams also qualified for nationals!
In 2026, Pop Warner Football & Cheer National Championships will be held in Charlotte, NC again! Our teams will be competing with the goal of making it once again to the National Championships in December!
Welcome to MARA Cheer!
Please read below for information on all our fall cheer program. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
---
Fall Pop Warner Cheer Program
The Fall Cheer program is our primary cheer program for athletes ages 5 through 16 years old (age determined as of 7/15/2026). This program is great for athletes looking to try a faster paced cheer program for the first time or build onto their existing cheer experience. This program is more focused on game day materials and building strong basics in all aspects of the sport. Athletes will learn cheers for football games and a competitive routine that will be performed throughout the season. Teams will compete in a local competition in October with the opportunity to compete in a regional competition in November and a national competition in December. The location for regionals is to be in Myrtle Beach and nationals will be in TBD.
FALL SEASON PRICING
Early registration pricing offered from May 1st through May 13th. Family/sibling discounts are available when registering multiple participants. Registrations placed after July 15th will be assessed a late fee.
Payment Plans are available:
· $120.00 due at the time of registration
· $100.00 due on June 30th
· Remaining balance due on July 15th.
Payments must be made in full by July 20th to remain on the roster. The first $50.00 of deposits made are non-refundable in accordance with our Refund Policy. Please review this policy carefully.
PRACTICES
All practices for the 2026 season will start the week of July 20th this year! There will be Friday indoor practices starting at the end of September through December (depending on competition qualification), in addition to the practices noted beAll teams will practice 2-3 times a week until late August then will practice 1 day a week until indoor practices start on Fridays at the end of September.” I’ll update later when we have days solidified.low.
GAMES
Games are held on Saturday mornings/afternoon and run weekly from the middle of August through early November. Typically, the younger squads cheer during the morning games and older squads cheer in the afternoon. Game times are set on a week by week basis. We will not get a schedule of times for the season. Games times are communicated the first half of each week as received from the Pop Warner Regional Association.
UNIFORMS
We will be using a similar uniform as the 2025 Fall Cheer season. The top will be the same so if your 2025 fall uniform still fits, you do not need a new top. All cheerleaders will need a new bottom as that has been redesigned for the 2026 season. All participants will need white cheer shoes for the season, which you have the option to purchase through registration at a discounted rate. Registration also includes a team shirt, game day bow, and competition bow for the season.
Uniform fitting date: July 23rd 5:30-7:00 PM at MARA Fields during practice.
EXPERIENCE
No previous cheer experience is required! We love teaching the sport of cheer to all levels. We only ask that participants show up to every practice with a can-do attitude, bright smile, and LOUD voice!
GRADE REQUIREMENTS
· All participants must meet a Pop Warner Scholastic Fitness Requirement of a 2.0/70% grade average, based on their 2025-2026 full year report card.*
· If your child is homeschooled, please let us know upon registering and we will provide you a home school eligibility form.
· *If your child's 2025-2026 grades do not meet the 2.0/70% grade average requirement, please contact us for further info on what will be needed in order for them to participate.
AGE DIVISION REQUIREMENTS
You will be asked to register your child in a division corresponding to their age. Teams are open to ages 5-16. Age for the 2026 season is determined as of 7/15/2026.
MARA 2025 Age Divisions (as of 7/15)
· Tiny Mites: 5, 6, 7
· Mitey Mites: 8, 9
· Junior Varsity: 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
COMPETITIONS
All squads will perform in LOCAL competitions through mid-late October. The annual Pop Warner local competition will be held mid-late October. Most divisions will have the opportunity to advance to the Regional Competition in November and National Competition in December. Details TBA.
ASSESSMENTS
We do not hold any tryouts or assessments. Participants are placed on squads corresponding to the Pop Warner age brackets. We do our best to place all participants on age/skill appropriate teams.
PRACTICE LOCATIONS
MARA - Arthur Goodman Memorial Park - 1200 S Trade St, Matthews NC 28105 In the event of inclement weather or field unavailability, there will be some off-site practices at a local school/gym.
Starting in late September, we will have indoor practices on Fridays at Charlotte Allstars.
COACHES & TEAM MANAGERS
We are always looking for more coaches/volunteers. No experience? No problem! Often times we have past MARA/high school cheerleaders help teach cheers/routines, but we are always looking for an adult supervisor to assist at practices and games and be a point of contact for the squad's parents. If you or someone you know are interested in helping coach, please email us at [email protected].
FUNDRAISING
We kindly ask all participants to assist in fundraising efforts throughout the season. Funds raised help us keep our advanced competition costs low.
QUESTIONS
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].