FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

As a league, we have recently decided to move our teams to the TCYFL league. It is the largest independent youth football league in the US and has a great reputation for safety, tough competition, competitive games and well run, professional organization.

o SPRING COMBINE: We start with spring combine days where registered Hawks players will come out to the turf to condition, try different positions and brush up on fundamental football skills. There will be one combine day each month April – July- exact dates TBD.

o PRACTICES: Team practices start the second week in July and run 4 days a week – typically Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6-8pm, and Saturday mornings 9-11am (days and times subject to change). We practice at Barry Rec Center in Rosemont since they have lights and a turf field.

o GAMES: Games begin at the end of August and are played on either Saturdays or Sundays. All home games are played at Maine South High School. Teams will play 8-9 regular season games. 

o PLAYOFFS: Playoffs begin immediately after the regular season and are based on a seeding from TCYFL. There are three potential rounds of playoffs in TCYFL and all playoff games are played locally.

o OUT OF STATE TOURNAMENTS – If a team wins their TCYFL divisional playoffs, there is an option to enter the team into a regional tournament where traveling out of state may be possible for a weekend in November.  Travel expenses and accommodations would be the responsibility of each family.  Details and options will be shared with families at the beginning of the season.  An example of this would be the Rocky Top Tournament in Tennessee.

We encourage EVERY athlete who LOVES football to register for our program! Yes, it’s a very high level program and we prepare players for high school level football, even at the youngest ages. But NO, you don’t have to have travel football experience to come out for the Hawks, but you should be a serious athlete who is willing to learn from the best coaches! 

We no longer hold dedicated evaluations as we have found that even the best athletes, who have no prior football experience, can become amazing team players with the right coaching!  Our ultimate goal is to place EVERY registrant (3-8th graders) safely on a team that is appropriate for their age, weight and skill level.  Spring combine days are non-contact and will be held once per month during the months of April – July. These combines will allow players to condition, learn new skills, try out positions and meet other players/coaches. If during the spring combine days coaches deem that a player’s lack of experience in organized sports and/or football could be a safety issue for the team and/or player, a full season refund will be issued and a player will not be placed on a team.  

As with all competitive sports, there is risk of injury, including concussions. Our decision to play with the TCYFL league was largely based on safety. Because we prioritize safety throughout our program, we have a safety plan that includes but is not limited to the following:

     o TCYFL has a structured age/weight matrix that keeps athletes playing kids of similar size instead of playing in an unweighted league. 

     o Our coaches are all certified in advanced concussion training.

     o All players (9 years old and older as of 9/1/26) will take an online ImPACT testing before the season starts. 

     o All players are issued and wear Guardian Caps for both practices and games. 

           About Guardian Caps

      o Our equipment is highly researched and recertified to keep it in top condition.

      o PRH uses primarily Riddell SpeedFlex and Schutt F7 helmets for our athletes. 

      o Our coaches are Heads Up certified and follow all concussion protocols accordingly. 

           About Heads Up 

      o We follow strict safety guidelines as set forth by the Illinois High School Sports Association with minimum live contact.

      o We strictly adhere to the official rules of TCYFL which mandates kids compete with others of similar age and size. 

          TCYFL Age Weight Matrix

      o TCYFL also makes every effort to provide an athletic trainer for every game. 

           About TYCYFL Safety

The cost per player for the 2026 fall season is $495. 

All athletes are to supply their own spikes, all black football pants and a mandatory mouth guard. The season fee per player includes the following:

o Four spring combine days between April-July

o Practice 8 hours a week for the entire season –July- November (subject to change)

o Access to professional speed and strength/conditioning coaches during all practices

o Equipment rental: all players will receive top of the line matte black helmet, shoulder pads, Guardian cap and practice jersey.  New for 2026 Hawks will pay for and get to keep their game day jerseys.

o Swag – tshirt, hat, bracelet, bumper sticker, yard sign and end of season apparel

o Homecoming festivities

o Pictures from a professional sports photographer

o League fees

o Referee and athletic trainer fees

o Practice facility fees – turf and lights

o Weekly pasta parties during regular season game schedule

o Paid head coaches – no daddy ball here! 

If there is a need or hardship, we will find a way to make football available to every child who is interested in our program. Please reach out to info@parkridgehawksfootball.com to find out more.

We encourage everyone to participate in multiple sports and activities throughout the year but while in football season, we expect players to be at every team practice. Spring combines are included in the season fee and while they are not mandatory, in order to be placed on the appropriate team for fall, we need to see your player in action at these spring combine sessions. All practices starting in July are considered mandatory. Missing practices affects the entire team and can become dangerous if a player doesn’t learn proper placement, plays and fundamentals.  We also expect families to help out during the season by volunteering when needed. 

Park Ridge Hawks Football offers D1 football experience to 3-8th graders. The number of teams per season is specific to the demand at the respective levels. Teams are organized according to the TCYFL age/weight matrix. There is no minimum playing time in TCYFL but because we know real growth comes from playing in real time game situations, we work hard to get as many reps to all of our players as possible both at practice and in games. Our goal as a program is to maximize each athlete’s ability by strategic and intentional practice plans that focus on incremental growth throughout the season.

We run High School Schemes 

SPREAD Offense 

3-4 and a 4-3 Defense

We are a Park Ridge community based program but welcome players from other local communities who are looking for a competitive football experience. Approximately 80% of our players will attend Maine South High School. We are DIFFERENT than the Park Ridge Park District Falcons program. They offer flag, cheer and football for the masses. We offer high level competitive football to serious athletes who want to be coached by paid head coaches that have actual Division 1 college football playing experience.  The Park Ridge Hawks are not affiliated with any other youth program or Maine South High School in anyway and we DO NOT recruit. 

 We can’t guarantee a player will play for any high school when it comes time and we don’t claim to be a feeder team for Maine South but our numbers don’t lie…

o ALL 10 of the 2023 CSL South conference champions ALL Conference Teams were former Park Ridge Hawks players.

o Approximately 90% of the starting players for Maine South Varsity were former Park Ridge Hawks players .

o Approximately 90% of the starters for the Maine South Sophomore Team were former Park Ridge Hawks players .

We use TeamSnap as a way to communicate with players, coaches and families about schedules, events and details. It is free to download the TeamSnap app and after you have registered your player online via our website, you will be invited to TeamSnap for further communications throughout the season.