JSYFL divisions are grade-based, and players must be properly enrolled to participate.

• 1st/2nd Grade (Rookie 1)
• 3rd Grade (Junior 1)
• 4th Grade (Junior 2)
• 5th Grade (Senior 1)
• 6th Grade (Senior 2)

To be eligible, an athlete must be enrolled in a school that falls within the geographic boundaries of the Member Park they are registering with, or otherwise meet eligibility criteria approved by JSYFL.

No player is eligible if they are in 7th grade (or higher) for the current year.

The JSYFL bylaws require that players participate with the Member Park associated with the school they attend.

• Public school students must play for the park aligned with their school’s attendance zone.
• Private or home-schooled athletes must play for the park that serves their primary residence, unless otherwise approved by the JSYFL Board.
• Players may not freely move between parks without proper approval.

Any exception to school-to-park alignment must be reviewed and approved by the JSYFL Board of Directors.

• 1st/2nd Grade: ages 6–8; cannot be 9 before Dec 31 of the current year. Kindergarten is allowed if the player turns 6 before Aug 1.
• 3rd Grade: cannot be 10 before Dec 31 of the current year.
• 4th Grade: cannot be 11 before Dec 31 of the current year.
• 5th Grade: cannot be 12 before Dec 31 of the current year.
• 6th Grade: cannot be 13 before Aug 1 of the current year.

JSYFL uses “Unrestricted” and “Restricted” player thresholds by division:

• 1st/2nd: Unrestricted 80.9 lbs or less; Restricted 81 lbs or more
• 3rd: Unrestricted 90.9 lbs or less; Restricted 91 lbs or more
• 4th: Unrestricted 105.9 lbs or less; Restricted 106 lbs or more
• 5th: Unrestricted 120.9 lbs or less; Restricted 121 lbs or more
• 6th: Unrestricted 135.9 lbs or less; Restricted 136 lbs or more

• JSYFL operates under a mandatory weigh-in policy prior to the first week of the season.
• Each player is allowed one official weigh-in.
• Failure to follow JSYFL weigh-in procedures results in the player being declared ineligible for the season.

Use of an ineligible player results in forfeiture of all games in which the player participated.

Players may not play up unless:

• Their Member Park does not have a team for their grade level, or
• Special circumstances exist and the request is approved by the JSYFL Board.

All requests must include written parent approval and formal submission by the Member Park.

If a division has 10 or more teams, JSYFL may divide that division into two conferences: National and American.

When splitting conferences, the bylaws list factors such as:

• Whether it’s a first-year team at that grade level
• Returning team record from the previous season
• If it’s a second team from a park and how many returning players are on the roster

Playoff rankings in this setup are based on a team’s record within its conference; cross-conference games are treated as non-conference for seeding.

When a park submits teams and requests a division, the bylaws say the park must include details such as whether the team is returning or first-year, how many returning players, and if teams were split to form the team, how the teams were chosen.

• Examples listed include: 1-to-1 draft and protected players (including how many).

Yes. The bylaws state 1st/2nd grade (Rookie 1) is 8-man football and Member Parks are required to split teams at the number 30.

Per the bylaws, games are played on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights.

• Games start at 6:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
• All single games are played at 6:30 p.m.
• All Jamboree games are played after 3:00 p.m. (to help avoid heat-related injuries)

The bylaws state that cancelled/postponed games must be played within that week, at least by Sunday. (A school activity exception requires written documentation presented to the Board.)