Tackle Football

We are excited to offer another season of tackle football to ages 8-14. Our goal is simple, to teach the game of football in a safe and nurturing environment while creating a love for the sport. While our teams do play to win, our primary focus is developing the youth of Northbrook to be able to play at the next level at Glenbrook North. We are coaching more than just football by teaching life lessons that prepare our young athletes for success both on and off the field. 

COMMITMENT

Unlike many other youth sports, tackle football requires teaching and repetition to properly prepare for the season and opponents each week. For those new to tackle, it is extremely important to make all practices especially early in the season. We support multi-sport athletes although we expect football to take priority over other sports during the fall season. 

Our competitive teams (eg, Varsity, Lightweight, Middleweight) practice five days per week in the pre-season and scale back to three days per week (plus film sessions and game walkthroughs at the discretion of the coach) during the season. Our developmental teams (eg, Featherweight, PAC teams) practice four days per week in the pre-season and scale back to two required practices and one optional practice per week during the season.

We expect those registered to play in our program to be at all practices and games. Those who miss practice will be less prepared for games and could have their playing time impacted. 

Playing Levels / Teams

We compete in The Chicagoland Youth Football League (TCYFL). There are about 50 member communities in our league. We will field teams at every level where we have enough players signed up to support a team.

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)
• Featherweight (8-11)
• Middleweight (10-13)
• Lightweight (12-14)
• Junior Varsity (12-14)
• Varsity (12-14)

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 by the second week of August.

All 12-14 year olds will be evaluated by coaches for the opportunity to play on our top Varsity team. This is a badge of honor and should be the goal of all participants in our program. 

Please note, we try to keep teams limited 18-22 players. 

Registration Fees

Age 10 and younger (as of Sept 1, 2024)

• $385

Age 11 and older (as of Sept 1, 2024)

• $495 - Early Bird Special (limited time offer)
• $525 - Regular Registration
• $575 - Late Registration (after June 1)

Registration includes uniforms (both home and away) and game socks. Players will purchase helmets, shoulder pads, rib guards, cleats, athletic girdle, cup, mouthguard, and practice pants. 

Pre-season Attendance

We realize many families have planned vacations and summer camps. Many of our families have conflicts during the first several weeks of practice. Although is not ideal, especially if you are new to tackle, your child will not be penalized for missing during this time. Communication and status updates are critical.

New to Tackle Football

Each year we have many that are new to tackle football. We do strongly encourage those new to be in attendance at the start of our practice season. This is a time to learn. Arriving after practices have begun will put someone new to the sport well behind those who have been at practice. 

Game Schedule

We will have a full 9 game regular season schedule that mirrors the Illinois State High School Schedule beginning the weekend of August 24th. Games are generally played on Sundays for most teams between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. Some communities do play on Saturdays and even on special occasions Saturday evenings. All home games are played in William Lutz Stadium at Glenbrook North High School on Sundays. We do not see a game schedule until about two weeks before our first scheduled games. The schedule is rolled out slowly to help ensure competitive play. 4-5 games will be played at home and the other half on the road. Most road games are no further than 45 minutes away.

Financial Support

We believe that anyone who wants to play the game of football should be afforded every opportunity to do so. We offer several options to help those who might need financial assistance with league fees and other football related items. Please contact Bob Anderson (847-630-4848) directly to discuss this option.