As a Naperville Saints player parent, you may wonder how teams are formed, players are assigned, and more. There are a lot of moving parts to a youth football program and it can seem overwhelming, so please read below for an overview.

League

The Naperville Saints are a member of the BIll George Youth Football League (BGYFL), founded in 1963. The BGYFL is a competitive league, with three distinct levels of competition for age groups 9U-Varsity: Gold D1, Gold D1, and Silver. Because this is a competitive league, players are not assigned to teams based on player/parent preference. Players must play at their respective level for their own safety and development as a player, and in the spirit of even competition.

The league is one with which we align with for many reasons, least of which is their focus on player safety and fair competition. The BGYFL has implemented specific safety measures including weight limits, rules that vary by age, and more. As of the time of this article there are 21 towns in the BGYFL, based predominantly in the west and northwest suburbs. The Naperville Saints play teams from other towns in the League, so it is a “travel” league, but travel is limited to west/northwest Chicago suburbs.

Age Divisions

The Naperville Saints are comprised of football players from 8-14 years old. Players are placed into teams based on their age as of August 1st, which is a league requirement. Players are not assigned teams by grade. Players play in their respective age groups, i.e., 9-year-olds play 9U.

8U (players 8 years old and under) play in a developmental division. The goal of this age division is to get kids playing football, focusing on safety, having fun, and wanting to come back to play again. Players learn basic techniques, offensive and defensive plays, and the teamwork required to succeed on and off the field. Games are conducted in a very similar fashion as the older age groups with the full game-day experience: ISHA-badged referees, athletic trainers, game footage recorded, and much more. 8U teams do not participate in post-season league playoffs or championships, but typically play in one final “bowl game” hosted by BGYFL towns.

9U-Varsity (players 9-14 years old) play in competitive levels. Starting with 9U, teams are organized by Gold 1, Gold 2, and Silver levels. Note that we do have first-year players at the 7th and 8th grade levels, so experience is not a prerequisite to participate. Below is a break-down of ages and divisions:

Player Assignments to Teams

We want all kids to have the ability to play this great game so we do not hold tryouts to participate. We do assign players 9U and older to gold and silver levels based on an initial evaluation period of 1-2 weeks. This is a critical time period as coaches use these eval periods to assess a player across several factors including but not limited to player experience, athleticism, skill, attitude, effort, position-specific capability and more. Note that prior experience in flag football is generally not considered in player evaluations.

Coaches at the respective age level work with other coaches in the same age level to build their teams. Note that teams are NOT formed based on parent input, existing friendships, or coaches "bringing-in" other players. If you or your player are not willing to accept which team they are assigned to or their position, please find another activity to participate in.

Player Position Assignments

Many kids want to be the ones scoring touchdowns, and we get it! However, as the ultimate team sport, not every player can be the one scoring points. Consider the offense, where 5 of the 11 players on the field are lineman - everyone on the field plays a critical role. Players will generally play the same or similar position for the entire season so they can learn the intricacies of their position and progress. Player position assignments are made at the sole discretion of the coach and are not assigned by player or parent request.

Weight Restrictions

Part of the player position assignment is determined by player size with the League’s “Striper” program where the BGYFL has implemented weight restrictions, by age, as a safety and even-competition measure. Those players above a certain weight in their age group are deemed "stripers" and are limited to offensive and defensive line play. These players have a stripe applied to their helmet for easy identification and our lineman wear it as a badge of honor. They have a blast as they do battle in the trenches with contact and action on every single play. Many Naperville Saints lineman are NOT stripers and some of our fastest and strongest players on the line are under the striper weight limit. Visit our lineman page for more info.

Teams

As described above, players are assigned to teams starting with player age, then evaluated for the best fit into level and division. Once a player is assigned to a team they stay on that same team for the duration of the season.

Gold teams are designated by BGYFL as the highest level of competition. Specifically, at the respective age level, a Gold 1 team is composed of the best 18-20 players across that age level. This means some players who were on gold may move to silver and vice versa. Once team rosters are submitted to the league, players are on the team for the duration of the season and do not move to other teams.

Both gold and silver levels are eligible for postseason play based on their season record. Play is competitive at both gold and silver levels. From season to season players may move in and out of various levels, from silver to gold or gold to silver. Movement is based on team needs, player development and coaches' discretion. Naperville Saints board members reserve the right to make final player and coach assignments.

You will see team names follow a designation such as 11U Gold D2. Below is a break-down of what that means:

In the interest of safety and like-competition, gold teams only play gold teams and silver teams only play silver teams, at their respective age and division levels. Additionally, teams only play other teams in the same age level. For example, a 10 year old team (10U) will only play other 10U teams.

We hope this primer on player assignments and teams helps answer questions you may have. Please visit our FAQ for more information: https://www.napervillesaints.org/faq

GO SAINTS!