The Benefits of Youth Tackle Football

Instills Sportsmanship: Tackle teaches your child about what it means to be a good sport, fostering them to become a role model for what it looks like to celebrate the wins and learn from the losses.

Teaches Teamwork: Tackle instills the critical value of teamwork and teaches your child how to play and interact well with others, no matter what age they enter the sport.

Generates Discipline: Tackle provides a hands-on approach to teaching your child how to be disciplined, while also integrating useful structure and organization into their lives.

Builds Resilience: Tackle equips your child with the skills needed to be resilient and learn to independently pick themselves up when things get challenging.

Promotes Fitness: Tackle encourages physical activity and healthy movement for kids at all levels of athletic ability, ensuring your child spends quality time away from the screen. You don’t need to be the fastest on the field to be a good player!

Inspires Parent-Child Bonds: Tackle generates moments for you and your child to bond over a shared love of a sport, from playing catch in the backyard to following your favorite professional teams together.

O­ffers Long-Term Options: Tackle can provide an avenue for your child’s long-term participation with a prestigious sport, from youth scholarships to other opportunities to continue their journey, even at the collegiate level.

“It’s fun to work on a team – it’s like a brotherhood with my fellow teammates.”

- Current tackle football player

Tackling Your Concerns

Player protection at the youth football level

The NFL Way to Play shows the league’s commitment to promoting proper playing technique across all levels of football from current players, NFL Legends and head coaches.

USA Football’s coaching certifications also help train leaders in youth football about proper tackling techniques and drills. These certifications now exist in more than 7,000 football programs across the country and address key safety issues through specially tailored drills and exercises.

My child already plays flag. What next?

Now that your child has learned the fundamentals of football, are they ready to take their game to the next level? With participation in flag already under your child’s belt, making the transition to tackle football will allow them to continue learning, growing and developing a passion for the sport.

Supporting Community

Tackle football creates a welcoming community for your child to be a part of and grow with across their journey with the sport. Plus, it’s a true scholastic sport, so it also emphasizes community for your child in an at-school setting, too.

Leadership Opportunity

Tackle football helps teach and instill what it means to be a leader, empowering your child with ways to take initiative and show responsibility for their actions both on and off the field.

Active Lifestyle

Tackle football is a key tool in helping your child develop healthy habits – instead of staying inside playing video games, tackle gets them up, gets them out and gets them exercising.

Here's what parents say:

“You win and you lose and you take the good with the bad. Football is a dose of reality in life that you can’t get everything handed to you.”

- Parent of a current player

“For some kids it can open up opportunities. If the child is good, they could get a college scholarship if their family might not be able to pay for college.”

- Parent of a current player

Survey says:

• Among surveyed parents of kids who play tackle, teamwork was the #1 benefit associated with the sport.
• 59% of surveyed parents of current tackle players agree that discipline was a key benefit to impact their decision to enroll.
• 58% of surveyed parents of current tackle players agree that tackle is a key way for their kids to stay in shape.
• 72% of surveyed parents agree that flag football is useful and/or necessary before transitioning to tackle.