Only you as parents can determine whether your child is ready for this step. You will want to consider the time commitment (normally 2-3 practices a week and a game after school starts, up to 5 practices prior to school starting) and attentiveness of your child. Can he/she stay focused for a 1 1/2 or 2 hour practice? As we would never discourage playing other sports, it is not advisable to play tackle football and another fall sport (fall baseball, soccer, martial arts) in order to get the most out of the football experience. All Games are played on Sundays.
Quoted from a USA Football Parent...
Safety: The reality is that no youth sport is void of risk. For example, my son often (unintentionally) butted heads with other players playing soccer and flag football, coming away with bloody noses and bruised heads. He experienced neither with tackle football. One reason starts with how they are coached.
Size: We found that starting tackle football at a younger age was a safety advantage. When the boys are smaller and weigh less at a younger age is the time to start tackle. To learn early on to play the right way and in an organization which teaches safe play. We did NOT want him to continue to play flag then switch to tackle at or shortly before playing high school (tackle) football.
Another aspect of safety is the “striper” program. Players are designated as “stripers” when they meet or exceed a weight threshold, by age group. Those designated stripers have a highlighted stripe sticker on their helmet which easily identifies them as being ineligible to carry the football. This translates to a safer game as the bigger kids can’t run the ball. My son is a striper and he loved it, doing battle in the trenches as both an offensive lineman and defensive tackle. There were many smaller players who were able to play a variety of positions on both sides of the ball.
Conditioning: Conditioning was a major reason the boys stayed healthy throughout the season. Strength and cardiovascular conditioning meant the boys played with proper form throughout the games the entire season.
Equipment: Equipment sold today is built to absorb impact way more than when I was a kid. Equipment manufacturers have a vested interest in making safer helmets and pads. Even “entry level” equipment is built to the highest safety standards.
We proudly support Gretna Public Schools and run our organization as a Feeder program to Gretna High School.