Each year, Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. hosts the Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer and Dance Championships.
For the past 20 years, the event has taken place at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex™ in Lake Buena Vista, FL during the second week of December.
The Pop Warner Football Championships (referred to as the Pop Warner Super Bowl) are divided into teams competing in Division I, Division II and Unlimited Division.
64 football teams compete for National Championships in 5 different age/weight ranges (Jr. Pee Wee, Pee Wee, Jr. Varsity, Varsity & Unlimited).
For Division I Football, an outright national champion is crowned in all age/weight divisions. Winners of the opening round games on Sunday move on to the semifinals on Wednesday, while the losing teams will play in consolation games. The Division I National Championship games will be played on Saturday, December 10, 2016 - and will also be shown LIVE on ESPN2.
For Division II Football, winners of the opening round games on Saturday move on to the semifinals on Tuesday, while the losing teams will play in consolation games. The Division II National Championship games will be played on Friday, December 9, 2016.
For the second straight year, the Unlimited Division will feature eight teams competing for a National Championship.
In addition, the week also includes Mitey Mite, Challenger League and International Division exhibitions. Also, teams from Division III will be competing in the Jr. Pee Wee and Pee Wee divisions for the second straight year.
In order to advance to the Pop Warner Super Bowl, a team must win its respective League Championship as well as the Regional Championship. Each advancing team is guaranteed to play two games at the Super Bowl, with a National Champion being crowned in each age-weight division and competition level.
The Cheer & Dance Championships feature over 400 cheer & dance teams who compete at the six-day event. Competitions take place at the HP Field House while also utilizing the new Josten's Center at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.™
Cheer & Dance teams compete in six YCADA Divisions (PW 1, PW 2, PW 3, PW4, Pom Performance and Theme Dance). They are further subdivided by age division (Jr. Peewee, Peewee, Jr. Varsity, Varsity and Bantam, as well as three cheerleading size divisions (Small, Medium & Large). More than 40 teams will also perform on Saturday, December 2 in the Tiny Mite and Mitey Mite Divisions.
For a cheerleading or dance team, the difficult road to the national championship is quite similar to that of the football teams. A spirit team will showcase their best 2:30 routine at the League Championship, the top two teams in each division advance to the Region Championships. At the Region Event, a spirit team will again perform their routine in hopes of placing first or second in their respective division to be invited to perform at ESPNs Wide World of Sports Complex.
