Fall 2023 Tackle Football
We compete in The Chicagoland Youth Football League (TCYFL). There are about 50 member communities in our league.
TCYFL offers six different levels of play and players eligibility is based on age and weight. Age & Weight rules can be found here.
- Bantam (age 6-9) - Note we do not offer this level
- Featherweight (8-11)
- Middleweight (10-13)
- Lightweight (12-14)
- Junior Varsity (12-14)
- Varsity (12-14)
Bantam, Featherweight, and Middleweight offer two different levels:
- Pac 10 (developmental)
- Big 10 (competitive)
Lightweight, Junior Varsity and Varsity are only Big 10.
We conduct pre-season mandatory individual assessments and evaluate players during pre-season conditioning & the first week of practice. We make team selections based on ability though we will consider parent preferences when possible. Teams are announced in the second week of August.
Our goal is to field the following teams:
- Featherweight (Pac 10)
- Featherweight (Big 10)
- Middleweight (Pac 10)
- Middleweight (Big 10)
- Lightweight A
- Lightweight B
- JV or Varsity
This is subject to change based on the number of players who register for tackle football.
Equipment/Gear
- Jr Spartans will supply game uniforms (both home and away), including socks.
- Players will purchase helmets, shoulder pads, rib guards, cleats, athletic girdle, cup, mouthguard, and practice pants.
- Please make sure your child has a sturdy, insulated, leak proof water bottle with their name on it. It’s critical they have plenty of water to drink at all practices.
- Coaches will review equipment procedures with team and check for proper fit, and make sure players are properly equipped.
- Ultimately, every game, the referees will make sure the players are properly equipped. Those who are not will not be allowed to play.
Timing
- Registration will begin in January.
- We will do an equipment measuring day with our rep from Riddell in March and another in April.
- There are optional mini camps throughout the off-season. You can find more specifics here.
- Practices will start the last week of July with optional conditioning.
- Mandatory practices start on July 31st and go Monday through Friday (Potential makeups on Saturday). The first week of practice is focused on re-teaching fundamentals (or introducing those fundamentals for new players). We treat every player as though it is their first year of tackle football at this point in the season.
- We typically host a jamboree with multiple participating communities the week before the first games.
- We scale down to 3 nights a week as the first game approaches
- Games start late August and we do play Labor Day weekend, Columbus Day weekend and Halloween (if it falls on Sat/Sun).
- The regular season is nine games and ends in late October.
- Playoffs are three weeks long, for teams who qualify, and culminate with Championship Weekend in mid-November
- Home games are played at GBN William Lutz Stadium, typically on Sunday’s.
- Road games are played at the opposing town’s home field and can be played on either Saturday or Sunday. Travel could be up to an hour away (Kenosha to the north, Huntley to the west, and East Aurora to the south). A full list of member towns can be found here.
Commitment
Tackle football requires eleven players to operate in unison on both offense and defense. Being an effective unit is the result of a lot of practice together and it is essential that players who sign up for tackle football commit to 40-50 practices, 9 games, and up to 3 potential playoff games. While it is possible to play other sports during football season, it is enormously difficult and tackle football should be the number one priority.
Playing Time
On our developmental teams, we strive for equal playing time best we can. On our competitive teams, our goal is to ensure that every player gets at least 10-15 plays per game (as long as the coaches determine the player is ready for tackle football). This could be on offense or defense (or both). We evaluate each player’s “football readiness” as a metric for playing time.
Components of football readiness:
- Fundamentals / Technique – does the player play fundamentally sound based on our coaching? Does the player play low and with leverage? Does the player block based on our standard, and tackle correctly?
- Aggressiveness – does the player play downhill based on the play that was called, or the path of the ball carrier? Does the player initiate contact or wait for it?
- Football IQ – Does the player know the playbook? Do they understand their position and the objectives on each play?
- Effort
- Age (in relation to level)
Sincerely,
Bob Anderson
Executive Director, Glenbrook North Junior Spartan Football
