Kids at that age are not physical like older kids, The feeder team for the Flyers plays in one to two tournaments a year where they will play multiple times in a day. rest of the time they play once per weak and have two padded practices a week. I think the most important things is who is coaching and how are they coaching.....More physical damage is done in practices during the weak then the 5-7 collisions a kid may have in a game on saturday with youth quarters. Also alot of tournaments run a continuous clock. 

20 hours ago, FLYGUY said:

Kids at that age are not physical like older kids, The feeder team for the Flyers plays in one to two tournaments a year where they will play multiple times in a day. rest of the time they play once per weak and have two padded practices a week. I think the most important things is who is coaching and how are they coaching.....More physical damage is done in practices during the weak then the 5-7 collisions a kid may have in a game on saturday with youth quarters. Also alot of tournaments run a continuous clock. 

The only kids having 5 to 7 collisions a game are those that are only playing 5 to 7 plays a game.  The linemen are banging heads every single play.  The running backs are taking a pounding every time they touch the ball.  My son, who was moved from qb to rb for his playoffs, would come off the field beat after those 32 minute games compared to his 2 hour practices during the week.  I couldn't imagine having him go out there and do the same thing another 3 times in the same weekend.  And to say kids are not physical like the older kids is a poor excuse/reason for playing in these tournaments, sorry.  Of course the younger kids don't hit as hard as the older kids, but it's all relative to their size. 

Rocky Top, Indy/Crossroads is a weekend for parents to have fun.

 

The FBU stuff is a money grab.  
 

it’s all ridiculous at that age level. 

New to this and currently going thru having my second kid go through NKYFL.

To put it bluntly the league is an absolute trainwreck and doesn't care about kids.  All teams push these post season tournaments, which I won't let my own sons play in.  Many teams have been "conditioning" aka practicing for a month now. 

Practicing is supposed to start Monday.  The season is entirely too long.  2 weeks of practice before scrimmages.  The first weekend of scrimmages typically involves most teams playing a scrimmage both Saturday and Sunday.  Then the second weekend some teams still participate in 2 scrimmages.  Starting the weekend of August 10, there is 9 regular season games.  Yes, 9.  Then 3 possible weeks of post season.  Then many teams do these ridiculous tournaments until December.

So there are kids involved for 6 months.  And parents, NKYFL officials, etc are all perfectly fine with it.

The one year I was coaching starters and refused to let our team play in River City Classic (tournament during week where games often get over after 9pm for 6-7 year olds).  The NKYFL said the next season it was mandatory that our team participated to be part of the league.

Player safety is a complete joke for 95% of the people involved.  I continue to coach my youngest son's team because that way I can guarantee his and the rest of his team's safety, because it actually matters to me.

Youth sports overall need a complete overhaul IMO.  Every sport at the youth level is beyond terribly run, and it makes it extremely difficult to keep kids active and engaged in the current cesspool that is youth sports.

On 7/13/2024 at 3:13 PM, New Colonel said:

New to this and currently going thru having my second kid go through NKYFL.

To put it bluntly the league is an absolute trainwreck and doesn't care about kids.  All teams push these post season tournaments, which I won't let my own sons play in.  Many teams have been "conditioning" aka practicing for a month now. 

Practicing is supposed to start Monday.  The season is entirely too long.  2 weeks of practice before scrimmages.  The first weekend of scrimmages typically involves most teams playing a scrimmage both Saturday and Sunday.  Then the second weekend some teams still participate in 2 scrimmages.  Starting the weekend of August 10, there is 9 regular season games.  Yes, 9.  Then 3 possible weeks of post season.  Then many teams do these ridiculous tournaments until December.

So there are kids involved for 6 months.  And parents, NKYFL officials, etc are all perfectly fine with it.

The one year I was coaching starters and refused to let our team play in River City Classic (tournament during week where games often get over after 9pm for 6-7 year olds).  The NKYFL said the next season it was mandatory that our team participated to be part of the league.

Player safety is a complete joke for 95% of the people involved.  I continue to coach my youngest son's team because that way I can guarantee his and the rest of his team's safety, because it actually matters to me.

Youth sports overall need a complete overhaul IMO.  Every sport at the youth level is beyond terribly run, and it makes it extremely difficult to keep kids active and engaged in the current cesspool that is youth sports.

I feel where you are coming from, but unfortunately, we're in the minority.  These tournaments are absurd, and I've asked parents and coaches why they do it, and I get no answer.  Playing 4 games in 2 days is not good at any age.  The River City Classis is actually the best of the options out there.  It's only 1 day per week, but that 2nd game of the night can be too late.  The county bowls for starters at the end of the year are the worst.  They cram 3 games between that last 2 games of the regular season where some of these kids will play 5 games in a 7 to 8 day period.   

I've actually proposed in NKYFL meetings to shorten the season, outlaw these tournaments and punish organizations who have "optional" practices before the July start date.  

You would have thought I threatened their everyone's wives and families with the uproar that happened.

These are kids.  Safety is supposed to be the forefront of the league according to them, but will do nothing to actually promote safety among the players.

After being involved with FBU I think a lot of the FBU stuff is a money grab. The camps/combines are a money grab. Top Gun is a money grab. I do think the Team KY stuff is good for kids to see the level of talent out there in the state and the country and is good for the kids. 

30 minutes ago, DearToday said:

After being involved with FBU I think a lot of the FBU stuff is a money grab. The camps/combines are a money grab. Top Gun is a money grab. I do think the Team KY stuff is good for kids to see the level of talent out there in the state and the country and is good for the kids. 

I think a lot of the extras are money grabs and the kids are the product.  

22 minutes ago, theguru said:

I think a lot of the extras are money grabs and the kids are the product.  

100%. Because they know some kids parent who thinks they have the next big thing will pay whatever they ask for it. 

8 minutes ago, DearToday said:

100%. Because they know some kids parent who thinks they have the next big thing will pay whatever they ask for it. 

That, and when the extras come at the end of the season there is a strong sense of obligation that you finish what you start.  I think that is taken advantage of. 

Scrimmages for youth leagues? Why?

On 8/8/2024 at 3:19 PM, I gotta go to work said:

Scrimmages for youth leagues? Why?

I know CYF (CCH's colonel youth teams) Scrimmage in the GCYL league in Cincy.

Last year it was at Elder's Pitt and was a great day of football.  They were hybrid style learning scrimmages with 2 games going on at once using half the field.  

Didn't seem too intense, was a good chance for the coaches to see where the boys were heading into the first game.

On 8/5/2024 at 12:23 PM, DearToday said:

100%. Because they know some kids parent who thinks they have the next big thing will pay whatever they ask for it. 

Waiting for middle school NIL.