Welcome to the 2019 season and the 40th Anniversary year for OYTF! We are very excited for the upcoming season and all the excitement football and cheer bring. We have been very busy this off season preparing for a great year and have some very exciting things happening.
Registration for the 2019 season opens up on Monday, January 21, 2019 at 6:00 am!! Please login and register your child(ren) as soon as possible. We will be offering payment plans again this year and urge you to take advantage of that option if paying in full is not possible. If the payment plan offered does not work for you, please reach out via email ([email protected]) and we will work out an arrangement that is better for you.
As we announced toward the end of 2018 OYTF has joined the Bill George Youth Football League (BGYFL). BGYFL has been around for over 50 years – founded in 1963 - and has over 20 organizations enrolled in it. Most fields will be within an hour travel distance. There will be 9 regular season games and then 3 rounds of playoffs with all games being played exclusively on Saturdays and Sundays. In past years their Super Bowl has been played at Benedictine University on their football field!
There are a few changes with BGYFL that we want everyone to be aware of. BGYFL caps their player per team number at 26. When we reach this number at any level, teams will be split. Because BGYFL has three levels of competition (gold division 1, gold division 2, and silver), teams will be split on an evaluation system. The coaches will look at players during the first couple weeks of practice and teams will be divided accordingly. We expect this to benefit everyone as there will be more room for development and playing time for each player. BGYFL also has weight limits that vary from what we have been used to. In order to run the ball or play certain defensive positions the following weights are in place:
8U under 74 pounds
9U under 84 pounds
10U under 94 pounds
11U under 104 pounds
Jr. Varsity under 119 pounds
Varsity under 154 pounds
Players have the ability to play in a higher division if necessary.
We will be offering flag football for player that are ages 5-7 (6 &7 year olds that are not quite ready for tackle). Certain weight restrictions apply:
-7 year old can weigh no more than 70 pounds the date of the first game (August 24-25)
-6 year old is unlimited weight but is a striper (unable to carry the ball) if over 64 pounds
-one pound growth allowance per week
This is a new venture for us and we ask for your patience as we get this off the ground. The cost will be $150.00 and will include a jersey, helmet, and flags. There will be 8 games and a one day end of season tournament. This is a great way for young players to learn something of the game of football and be part of a team like their older siblings! We will need coaches for this, so please consider volunteering to fill those roles.
Please consider volunteering to coach whether it be for football or cheer! We do have some coaching staffs that need more coaches, and if our numbers continue to grow as we hope they do we will be having multiple teams at varying levels that will need coaches. If you would like to coach, please click the "be a coach" link above.
If you have any questions please reach out to us and we will be happy to help.