Who We Are

The New Lenox Youth Football Association runs three programs in New Lenox:

*Junior Knights football and cheer
*Junior Warriors football and cheer
*Elite competitive cheer 

With up to eight football teams and 16 cheer teams each year, our low coach-to-player ratio exists so that we can focus on safety and fundamentals.  And there’s little doubt it works: The NLYFA consistently produces highly competitive teams who take home championships.

Our football teams compete as part of the River Valley Football League, while our cheer teams compete through the Illinois Cheerleading Association.

Our Approach

We love football and cheerleading! But don't let our passion for sports fool you: The real reason we show up every day is for the kids. 

At every level of our organization, we are committed to the deep character-building that takes place on practice fields and performance mats alike. Every decision we make is aimed at developing integrity, sportsmanship and work ethic. The fact that we get to do it in such a fun atmosphere and with such amazing kids? That's just icing on the cake.

We aim to offer the highest-quality football and cheer programs in the southwest suburbs. Our coaching staff are USA Football-certified, while also trained in our methods for encouraging and growing athletes. We use equipment that goes through routine safety checks, and we compete on the same turf fields where local high school football stars play under Friday night lights.

If you have questions about NLYFA, please contact our president.

Our History

The River Valley Football League -- and consequently, the NLYFA -- was born out of a desire to see kids enjoy playing football. Wanting to see all kids participate on the field in a safe manner, regardless of size, was a priority for leaders in the early days of our league.

Today, we remain focused on our goal to give all kids a chance to compete in the safest manner possible.  All of our teams play in a Wednesday Night League in addition to weekend games, with the aim of giving less experienced or smaller athletes the opportunity to compete against peers of similar skill levels.