Proper Helmet Fitting Video

Equipment handout at the Lakeville North Stadium

5th Grade - Tuesday, July 25, 5:30-8 p.m. - Equipment handout, weigh in, & evaluation

4th Grade -  Sunday, August 6th, 5:30-7 p.m. - Equipment handout & weigh in (evaluations @ practice)

3rd Grade - Sunday, August 6th, 5:30-7 p.m. - Equipment handout

At the youth level we offer tackle football starting in 3rd grade with grade level specific rules and weight restrictions to promote both safety and fair play at each level.   

Coaches on each team will determine the positions that each player will play. Our goal is to put each kid in a position that they can be successful. For the safety of all players, weight limitations restrict certain players from playing specific positions.  Questions about weight restriction?   See below 

PLAY HARD, PLAY SMART, PLAY TOGETHER. ALWAYS COMPETE.   

At Lakeville North we have transformed how football is coached and played.   Our mission is to teach the game of football using best practices and to develop the skills and confidence of all players.    We do not create heroes or failures among our players who are too young to handle either role.    

• Each player will learn to play positions on offense and defense. 
• Each player will have a starting position and should expect to play 50% of the game, except for disciplinary reasons. 
• For the safety of all players, each grade will have a weight limit for running of the ball. 
• Teams at each grade level will be formed with an equal distribution of talent.  There will be NO "All Star" or "Traveling" team.  
• Each grade level will practice together as one unit to leverage the skills of all coaches at each grade level and so kids can practice with their friends and make new friends across their grade level.     

Participate in as many sports as you possibly can.  Fight the pressure to specialize in any one sport and trust that the lessons learned in different sports crossover and help you far more than hurt you.  Respect the season you are in and dedicate yourself to your team and your coaches.  Learn to compete with class and improve from your successes and failures. 

Players’ Weights. All players are to be weighed at Equipment Pickup, Evaluations or during the first week of practice. This weight, using LNFA scales only, will be the official playing weight of the player for the remainder of the season. A player MUST have a recorded weight with LNFA to carry the ball.

No player weighing more than the restricted weight is eligible for an Offensive or Defensive Backfield Position (Excluding Linebackers). No play may be designed to allow a player weighing over the limit to purposely carry the ball.   Offensive Ends may weigh more than the limit and may catch and advance the ball.

3rd Grade. Tacklebar -  No weight limits apply.  All kids can carry the ball.   

4th Grade. No player weighing more than 90 lbs. is eligible.  

5th Grade. No player weighing more than 105 lbs. is eligible.   

Quarterback Rule.  Kids over the weight limit are deemed "Line Captains" and they are allowed to play the Quarterback position during a play from scrimmage but are ONLY allowed to receive a snap from center and make the hand off OR throw a pass.  

Line Captain Extra Point Rule. Line Captains will be allowed to play ANY offensive position during an extra point ONLY. 

Parental Requests. If a player weighs more than the allowed Line Captain weight limit for grade, the player’s parent/guardian can petition the LNFA to ask that their child play up One Grade Level.  

TackleBar Football is a safer approach to the game that preserves the tradition and spirit of the sport.

Players wear traditional football equipment, plus a TackleBar harness that holds two foam bars across the lower back. The defender must track and engage with proper form tackling technique while wrapping the ball carrier and ripping a bar from the harness.    With this approach, players stay on their feet rather than taking the ball carrier to the ground. 

The TackleBar harness teaches proper shoulder tackling technique and skill development. The defender must track and engage with proper form tackling technique while wrapping the ball carrier and ripping a bar from the harness.

Players are able to practice proper breakdown, body positioning, and engagement. It’s a true simulation of live tackling without putting players through the wear and tear of full contact.