NLYFA FOOTBALL
Junior Knights * Junior Warriors
Here at the NLYFA, we believe that excellence on the field begins with strong character. That's why our coaching staff spends
so much time encouraging, leading and demonstrating good sportsmanship. Our philosophy pays off on the field, where we consistently produce Championship-winning teams. Come join our teams and find out how we produce athletes who are ready for high school sports -- and life beyond.
Costs
202 Registration: $295 per player
Fundraising costs: $130 per player. Families pay $130 at the time of registration and receive a book of 26 raffle tickets. Families may then sell the raffle tickets to earn their money back. Raffle ticket stubs will be turned in at practice.
Payment Plans
We offer two payment options. You can opt to pay in full at the time of registration, or you can choose a plan that spreads payments over four months.
An additional $3 transactional fee is charged by our online administrator each month of the payment plan. If you register after a payment has already passed, you will be charged the amount due to date and the balance will be charged on the scheduled plan dates.
Expectations
Volunteer Duties: Each family is required to volunteer for four credits during the season. There is a $200 fee charged PER CREDIT each time one is not fulfilled. The cost to opt out of volunteering for the season is $750 and that option is available at the time of registration only.
Equipment: Each player is provided with shoulder pads and a helmet, both of which must be returned at the end of the season. We will collect a $300 deposit check at the time of equipment pick up. At the end of season, we will provide a date to return equipment. At this time your deposit will be returned. Each player receives a jersey with their name and number that they keep at the end of the season. Players need to purchase their own cleats and integrated football pants at all levels.
Birth Certificates and Sports Physicals (2019 ihsa sports physical.pdf)
are required for each player. Birth certificates are required for all, even if you have submitted in a previous year. Sports physicals are due by the first day of practice.Practice and game commitments
Practice:- 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) from season start (late July) until school starts (mid-August).- 4 days a week (Tuesday-Friday) at the start of the school year until the end of the season.- Depending on team placement, practice times will begin and end between 5:30-8:00 pm. Games:- Games start in the middle of August and run every weekend through early November.- There are 8 regular season games and up to 4 additional playoff games, dependent upon each football team's advancement.- Games are played on either Saturday or Sunday, at all home and away games, in good weather and bad.
-The 2026 game schedule can be viewed here when it becomes available.
Experience:
No previous football experience is required. All players get game experience in the competitive situation that best suits their ability.
Team placement:
Players are placed in their division according to their age and weight. Please see weightmatrix2024.pdf for details.
We have two teams: Jr. Knights and Jr. Warriors. Teams on both sides follow the same requirements and rules and offer comparable experiences to their athletes. We are unable to honor placement requests and cannot guarantee on which team a new participant will be placed.
Siblings are placed on the same side of the organization. Remaining new participants will be put into a lottery to determine which side of the organization they will be placed on.NLYFA Athletic Director - Chad Barger
Athletic Director - Mark Rimkus
Jr. Warriors Head Coaches
Superlight - Mitch Burns
Lightweight - Kevin McWilliams
Jr. Varsity - Adam Sommer and Kevin Curtain
Varsity - Chad Barger
Athletic Director - Rick Splant
Jr. Knights Head Coaches
Superlight - Geoff Youngberg
Lightweights -TBD
Jr. Varsity - Kevin Fangerow and Kyle Jakubek
Varsity - Rick Splant