2026 T-Birds Season Countdown

2026 T-Birds Season Countdown

Find all past T-Bird newsletters on the News section of our website. Photos by Dave Cook, Rowena Wood Photography


✍️ 2026 Kickoff

Welcome back, T-Bird Families!

As we enter our 68th year as an organization, preparations for the 2026 season are already well underway. We are committed to maintaining the high standards of the San Ramon Valley Thunderbirds while implementing key improvements to our competitive structure and safety protocols.

🗓️ 2026 Registration

Both Football and Cheer Registration will officially open on March 1st. We encourage families to register early, as roster spots are limited and tend to fill quickly. This season, we are offering a $25 sibling discount to help families with more than one T-Bird athlete. We will also offer a $50 early bird discount for all T-Bird families who register before April 1st, 2026. 

📝 New Divisional Structure: Division I & Division II

To better serve the development of our athletes, the EBYFC is evolving its program structure for the 2026 season. This change ensures that every player is placed in an environment that maximizes their growth and competitive experience. Please see the T-Birds Football Program for more details.

  • Division I: Represents the division formerly known as Premier. Division I is the highest level of Football competition. For Cheer, Division I means that Cheer athletes will follow the Division I Football teams. Division I Cheer is not different in skill or expertise from Division II Cheer.

  • Division II: Represents the division formerly known as Champion. Division II is the development level of Football competition. For Cheer, Division II means that Cheer athletes will follow the Division II Football teams. Division II Cheer is not different in skill or expertise from Division I Cheer.


📣 Cheer Format

We heard your feedback in our 2025 Football & Cheer end of season survey. In 2026, we plan to make the following changes for T-Bird Cheer:

  • Practices: All Cheer will move to 1 practice per week. Division II Cheer practices will be held on Tuesday nights from 6pm-8pm. Division I Cheer practices will be held on Wednesday nights from 6pm-8pm.
  • Preseason Cheer Camps: Please plan on attending Cheer camp prior to the first week of practice. These camps are mandatory for all Cheer athletes:
    --- Routine Camp: August 3rd & 4th: 9am-3pm
    --- Cheer Camp: August 5th & 6th: 9am-3pm
  • Cheer dates: Cheer practices will start on Tuesday, August 11th (Division II) and Wednesday, August 12th (Division I), where Football practices will start on Monday, July 13th. We understand that every Summer day leading up to school is cherished. We want to ensure you have more time to enjoy your Summers.


🛡️ Athlete Safety Initiatives

Safety remains the foundation of our program. Check out our new T-Birds Safety Policies inclusive of Injury Reporting, Return to Play procedures, Practice Commitments, and more. We are also proud to announce a significant investment in player protection for the upcoming season:

  • Guardian Cap 2.0: Starting in 2026, every football athlete will be equipped with the Guardian Cap 2.0. This soft-shell helmet cover is engineered to absorb impact energy and is currently utilized by collegiate and NFL programs nationwide.

  • Coach Certification: We continue to mandate that all Head and Assistant Coaches be USA Football certified in "Heads Up" tackling techniques as well as CPR/First Aid training. Coming soon: New this season: all EBYFC Coaches will be required to complete Live Scan fingerprinting to volunteer as a Coach. More details to follow.


🙌 2026 T-Birds Board

Effective leadership is critical to the success of our organization. We wanted to send a heartfelt thank you to Sasha Whittington, Dennis Brinkmann, Bill DePaschalis, and Andy Baugh on their contributions to the T-Birds Board in 2025. It truly takes a village and we couldn't have been as successful without your contributions.

Leading into this season, we will be welcoming our 2026 Board of Directors! Please join us in welcoming Rachael Davis, Jacob Rincon, Justin Owens, Devinee Harper, and Tony Chiosso to our T-Birds Board! Finally, sending a huge congrats to Chanell Mays, long-time T-Birds Board member, who is stepping up as our new VP of Cheer. We are also still seeking support in several positions below. Contact us if interested in discussing more:

  • Sean Janis, President
  • Britney Fanelli, Secretary
  • Chris Costa, Athletic Director
  • Dan Yang, Treasurer
  • Kaveh Sartipi, VP of Football
  • Chanell Mays, VP of Cheer
  • Antonio Chinaglia, Director of Equipment
  • Rachael Davis, Director of Jr. Coaches, Cheer
  • Jacob Rincon, Director of Strength & Conditioning
  • Justin Owens, Director of Football Scouting & Analytics
  • Devinee Harper, Director of Events & Team Parents
  • Tony Chiosso, Director of Alumni Relations
  • <Open>, Director of Game Day Operations
  • <Open>, Director of Sponsorships
  • <Open>, Director of Volunteers

💪 2026 Strength & Conditioning

Last year, T-Bird parents asked how they could best support their athletes leading up to the new season. In 2026, the San Ramon Valley Thunderbirds Strength & Conditioning is fundamentally committed to fostering a high-intensity, structured, and safe training environment. Led by Coach Rincon, our mission is to prepare student-athletes for the physical demands of football by emphasizing proper technique and attention to proper nutrition and rest. We aim to build strong, confident, and resilient football players who take ownership of their physical and mental preparation, ultimately producing outstanding results in athlete development and performance. Contact us if interested in learning more:


📚 Glazier Clinics - FREE Youth Coach Pass

Our mission is to provide the highest quality experience for our players through continuous coach training and skill development. To support this goal, we are excited to share that Glazier Clinics is offering a free youth football pass for 2026. This is an incredible opportunity for our coaches to access a nationwide network of clinics and an extensive digital library of coaching systems and drills at no cost. We encourage all our T-Birds coaches to take advantage of these resources to help sharpen our systems and elevate the game for our athletes. Select 'San Ramon Valley Thunderbirds' as the team during the FREE sign-up process.


🛒 New 2026 T-Birds Merch Drops

Looking for the newest T-Birds Gear? We just launched our 2026 line with a ton of great new products and styles! We hope you enjoy the new selection of T-Birds Gear on our online store. Shop our T-Birds Merch Store any time!




🏈 Monte Vista Assistant Coaching

Calling all passionate football minds! Our friends at Monte Vista High School Football are looking for dedicated Freshman assistant coaches to join the Mustang family. Let's support the program that supports our T-Birds! Contact Coach Greg Harrison at Monte Vista Freshman Football for details. 


We look forward to welcoming your families back to the field. Thank you for your continued commitment to the T-Birds community. 2026 Registration opens on March 1st!

Fly High!

Sean Janis
President, T-Birds
Contact: srvtbirds@gmail.com
Follow us @srvthunderbirds

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