FAQs - SYA Tackle Football

Table of Contents

  1. Registration Questions
  2. Player ID Questions
  3. Equipment Issue Day
  4. Practice Questions
  5. Draft Notes
  6. Practice & Vacation Notes
  7. Game Scheduling Questions & FCYFL Facts
  8. FCYFL Weight Chart

Registration Questions

What are the age groups?
Registration is open to all kids living in Fairfax County ages 7-16. You must be 7 years old as of October 1st & no older than 16 as of October 1st. The Fairfax County Youth Football League is a full contact tackle football league.

When does registration begin?
TBD

What type of payments are acceptable?
The system accepts Visa or MasterCard & Online Checks (your registration is not FINAL until your check payment is received). You may pay your registration fees, Skills Camp fees, Team Sponsor options and make donations during online registration. You may register multiple players online as well and receive a multiple player discount.

Does my child need a physical to play?
There is no requirement for a medical physical to play in the Fairfax County Youth Football League.

 


Player ID Questions

What type of ID does my child need?
The ONLY acceptable form of ID to play football in the Fairfax County Youth Football League is a DMV ID.

Where do I obtain the proper ID?
Please visit the Child ID Card section on the DMV website.

 


Equipment Issue Day

Who needs to be at equipment issued?
Your child must be present to receive their equipment.
Date
TBD
Location
Centreville High School
6001 Union Mill Road
Clifton, VA 20124-5400

Time slots (Times TBD)
155LB & 130LB Teams
Anklebiter Teams
80 lb Teams
90 lb Teams
100 lb Teams
115 lb Teams

What time should we come if we have multiple kids in the program?
Bring them both at your earliest scheduled time.

How long will it take?
Each child will take approximately 30 minutes to properly fit.
Parents are not allowed in the equipment issue areas, so please bring a book or newspaper.

 


Practice Questions

When does practice begin?
TBD
What is the practice schedule?
Practices are 5 nights per week from 6pm – 8pm until school starts. Once school starts after Labor Day, practices go to 3 nights per week.  Most practices will run from 6pm to 8pm. Coaches typically select their practice days.  

Where are practices held?
Centreville HS
Braddock Park
Mt. View Alt. HS


Draft Notes

  1. Anklebiter teams are drafted as to create equal teams.
  2. Most other weight classes split into 1 American Division Team (most experienced players), 1 or 2 Central Division Teams (less experienced players) and 1, 2 or 3 National Division Teams (beginners).  We follow the Fairfax County rules regarding placement of teams, which is determined by the number of players in each weight class. (i.e., 3 teams = 1 American & 2 National Teams; 4 teams = 1 American, 1 Central & 2 National Teams).
  3. Note: If your child is one of the younger or smaller players at any weight class they will “most likely” play in the Central or National conference.  It is all dependent on ability and this usually sorts itself out after the first few nights of contact practices.
  4. Teams are split after the first week of practice or in the first few days of the 2nd week of practice.


Practice & Vacation Notes

  1. If your child is not present during the first week or evaluation period, they will be evaluated as quickly as possible upon your return, but they fall behind quickly if they miss an extended period of time. Remember next year when planning vacations, football practice & equipment issue always starts the first weekend of August.
  2. The SYA Football Skills camp (TBD) is an optional fee based camp run the week before official FCYFL practices begin.  If you are planning to be on vacation during the evaluation period, then you might consider attending the skills camp as it will be the only time potential coaches get an extended look at your players abilities before teams are drafted.


Game Scheduling Questions & FCYFL Facts

Click here for important message from FCYFL

  1. Approximately 70% of FCYFL games are scheduled on Saturdays.
  2. Approximately 25% of FCYFL games are scheduled on Sundays.
  3. Approximately 5% of FCYFL games are scheduled on weeknights (Mon-Fri).
  4. All game scheduling is done regardless of the Washington Redskins home or away schedule.
  5. Weekend games are scheduled without deference to religious denominations; decisions to play in the hours/day of a game are individual.  The potential exists that conflicts may occur and FCYFL is going to play the games.  Parents need to know the possibility exists for a conflict and personal decisions must be made by the family to participate or not.   
  6. All game scheduling is done with the available space given to us by the individual member clubs.
  7. When games are postponed, they must be made up as soon as possible because of limited facilities available, unpredictability of weather, and the Thanksgiving Holiday. This means games could be rescheduled as quickly as the day after a postponement!   
  8. With the introduction of the new turf fields coming on line around the county, FCYFL will schedule and reschedule games on these weatherproof sites in the best interests of finishing the season on time and not canceling any games!  This scheduling pattern takes precedent over the “home” game concept experienced in the past.  When possible, we will continue to schedule home games as in the past, however, “playing the game” is the most important goal we desire.  In the next few years, sport fields in our region will undergo a MAJOR renovation to synthetic turf surfaces and we must be flexible and adjust ahead of the curve.
  9. The availability of game officials and the weather are the primary reasons for the initial schedule and schedule changes.
  10. FCYFL has member clubs from Gainesville to Alexandria, from Woodbridge to Loudon County.  FCYFL tries to “look” at weekly match-ups, time and location of games when schedules are developed.  However, the availability of facilities (lighted) or lack of lighted fields, significantly impacts “convenient” geographical scheduling that parents may look at as challenging at best!   Teams are matched by draw not by geography, so the possibility exists in each weight class that all clubs may play any other club, anywhere in the county.  We are cognizant that traffic, early morning, and late night games, are considered an inconvenience by some people. The bottom line is that in most cases we have no choice so the decision to play in the FCYFL must be made knowing these conditions exist.    

  

FCYFL Weight Chart

Birthday Age Cutoff Dates: Ages 7-11 and 14 – Age on October 1; Ages 15-16 – 15 year olds that turn 16 on or before December 31st must play 155lbs. No player that turns 17 on or before December 31st is eligible to play.

Age on October 1 (See exceptions for 15 and 16 year olds)
Weight Class 7 8 9 10 11 12* 13* 14 15** 16***
AB* Unlimited 90 55
80LB UNL/100 90 85 80
90LB UNL/110 100 95 90
100LB UNL/120 110 105 100
115LB UNL/ 135* 125 120 115
130LB UNL/ 150* 140 135 130
155LB UNL/ 175* UNL/ 165* 160 155

* Unlimited players are not eligible to play in a position that normally handles the ball unless they are at or below the listed maximum ball carrier weight (the weight limit listed next to “Unlimited/” on the chart above). Anklebiters may not weigh more than 70lbs to run the ball. Positions excluded for unlimited players exceeding the maximum ballcarrier limit include all offensive backfield positions, all eligible receivers and tight end positions, and any position not on the first line of a special teams formation. Exceptions include the offensive positions of center, punter, and placekicker.

** 15 year olds that turn 16 on or before December 31st must play 155lbs. *** 16 year olds that turn 17 on or before December 31st are not eligible to play.

Only youth between the ages of 7 and 16 years of age and who weigh at least 40 pounds may participate in the FCYFL. All youth shall play in the Age/Weight Division that they are eligible for. There will be no waivers.

Commissioners are responsible for checking birth dates and weights at club registration and the official FCYFL Weigh-In. For example, a 10 year old will play in the 90# group if he weighs from 86 to 100 pounds. He may not play in the 100# group unless he weighs between 101 pounds to 120 pounds.

For purpose of eligibility in the various Age/Weight Divisions, a players age on October 1 of the current year will determine his football age. Example: A youth who becomes 10 years old on or before October 1 will play as a 10 year old. A youth who becomes 10 at any time after October 1st of the current year will play as a 9-year-old.

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Office Location:
5950 Centreville Crest Lane
Centreville, VA 20121
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 471
Centreville, VA 20122
Phone: (703) 815-3362
Fax: (703) 815-2180
E-mail: admin@syayouthsports.org