Is football experience required?
Football experience is not required. Flag football experience is generally not considered when evaluating players for team assignments.
Are there weight restrictions?
The Naperville Saints belong to the Bill George Youth Football League (BGYFL) who has implemented weight restrictions, by age. The weight restriction is a safety and even-competition measure. Those players above a certain weight in their age group are deemed "stripers" and are only allowed to play on the offensive and defensive line. Once a player is listed as a striper with the league, they are a striper for the season. Visit our
Lineman webpage HERE for more info including weight limits.
Do we have to live in Naperville to play?
No, but please contact us if you live outside Naperville to ensure there are no conflicts with other BGYFL towns.
Are there age limits?
The Naperville Saints age minimum is 8 years old, oldest is 14.
Age cutoffs are governed by the Bill George Youth Football League. The birthday cutoff is August 1. If your player's birthday is before August 1st and they are considered "older" for their grade, they will need to play up to the next grade level. For example: If your 4th grader turns 10 before Aug 1st, you would have to play on the 5th grade team.
Note for 8th graders: The above age cutoff doesn't apply in the 8th grade as long as the player has not already turned 15. Our league states an August 1st date. Typically the only time that date is re-considered is for 8th graders as they want all 8th graders to be able to participate before moving onto high school.
Are there tryouts?
We want all kids to have the ability to play this great game, so we do not hold tryouts. We have kids of all skill levels and experience. We have an evaluation at the beginning of each season where kids are placed on teams with a similar skill set and play games against similar competition. There is an evaluation period where new and returning Saints players will be evaluated based on skill and ability for their respective age group, which will lead to assignment into like levels of competition.
Can my player play on the same team as his friends?
Team determination is based on best fit for similar skill level players, so we cannot fulfill requests for friends to join the same team. It has worked out for some in the past but no guarantees. However, teams at the same age level may practice together based on practice field assignments and is at the coaches' discretion. Please refer to our Player Assignments overview HERE.