Need Advice AYFL

Can anyone give me information on Ashburn Youth Football League's tackle program? We have done i9 flag for years now and we are thinking about trying out our son next spring for the fall and I don't see a ton of info on the site. When are tryouts, what's involved? Do the teams get put together by skill and weight class or by age or grade? Are the games same time and place each week? And anything else you'd like to share would be appreciated.


Thanks much,
Stephanie

 

Stephanie,

AYFL is a fairly well run league. Divisions are done by school year/age, there is a weight restriction for certain positions.
A league is for 7-8 grade - not sure of the weight restriction
B league is for 5-6 grade and anyone over 104 lbs has to play the line(s) (cannot be QB, running back, receiver, LB, CB or safety)
C league is for 3-4 grade and weight restriction is 84 lbs
D league is the beginner's league and there is no weight limit. It is primarily instructional and players get to play every position. There is no official winner for games.

Tryouts are typically during June and IMO are pretty lame. They run, pass and catch pretty much just one time, then there is a player draft soon before the season starts.
Practices start beginning of August and are 5 days a week the first few weeks (no pads for ANY child the first 3 practices THEY attend), then 4 days for a couple of weeks, they last 2 hours.
Once school starts they may only practice 3 days a week and last 1.5 hours. Coaches will determine the schedule. Games are Saturdays, unless there are weather cancellations and there may be an odd game during the week.

 

It is a decently run league. It is also a HUGE time commitment (forget any vacations starting the first week of August). And if your kid isn't super skilled, they won't get a lot of playing time. They have a six play per kid per half rule and if your kid isn't great, they'll only get their six plays per half. So be prepared for that as well. It is more of a competitive league than instructional in my opinion. My son played for several years but was always over the weight limit to touch the ball and got bored of playing on the line so he moved to lacrosse, which he loves...