The Richfield Football League provides a youth football program with both flag and full contact (tackle) programs for children in grades K-6. Your child does NOT have to be a Richfield resident to participate.  Each child will be placed in the Flag, Jr. Cub, or Cub Division based on the child’s current school year. The focus is on learning how to play the game of football and have fun doing it. 

Mission Statement: Richfield Football League’s mission is to provide a safe environment for all football participants to learn the values of good sportsmanship, teamwork and the proper fundamentals of football. Coaches, parents, referees, and players are expected to act in accordance with these values in order to provide a positive experience for all participants and aid in the development of each player. 

1.    Are Special Requests Accepted? 

For Flag Division players we will only accept special requests for players to be on the same team as another player. As much as we like to, we are unable to satisfy any special requests regarding specific coaches, teams, practice schedules, or game schedules for Jr. Cub or Cub Division Players. Thanks for your understanding! 

2.   What Can I Expect As Far As a Game Schedule for My Child's Team? 

The league schedules each of the games in the league. A typical season consists of each team playing 8 to 10 regular season games. For Flag this usually begins the first Sat after Labor Day, for Jr Cub and Cub this usually begins at the end of August. The seasons are typically done by the end of October.  Game times can be affected for several different reasons, but as a rule there are NO games started prior to 9:00 AM and no games started after 8:30 PM. Your team's opponent, game location, and game time for the entire season will be published on our website once all the teams have been compiled. Jr Cub and Cub may play teams from other cities and game may be scheduled in other cities. Jr. Cub and Cub Division teams will also have a couple playoff games at the end of the season for the League Championship. The playoff schedule will also be posted on our website once it has been determined by the League Commissioners. 

3.      Is the Richfield Football League affiliated with or run by the Richfield Public School District? 

The program is run with the cooperation of the school district, but it is in no way affiliated with the school district. The program is run solely by volunteers. 

4.      How are Players Assigned to a Team? 

Flag Divison: Teams are constructed by evenly distributing kids by age and experience. The goal is to evenly balance the teams as much as possible.

Jr. Cub & Cub Division: Teams are constructed through a league controlled draft process. Each coach is able to reserve space for their child(ren) as well as space for their assistant coach’s child(ren). The kids that weren’t reserved are sorted by DOB, weight, playing experience, and their evaluation performance and then a draft is conducted to evenly distribute them to a team in their age group. The draft process and the reserved picks gives us what we feel is a fair balance between dividing up the kids evenly (so we have evenly matched teams...in theory), and giving the coaches some continuity from year to year.

5.      What is the Practice Schedule Typically Like? 

Each team will have 2-3 practices each week through the season. Practices will be held at a time and location determined by your team’s coach.

6.      Are there Weight Limits? 

Yes, there are weight limits within the Jr. Cub & Cub Division. Each player's weight must be at or under the limits listed below in order to advance the ball during a game. Also, all players that exceed the weight limits must be in the “down” position when playing as a defensive lineman or defensive end. All players who exceed the weight limits will have a red stripe taped over the ear on both sides of their helmet. This is a league requirement. The weight limits for each age group is as follows:  

Division          Weight Limit 

Jr. Cub                  90 lbs 

Cub                 115 lbs 

7.      What Equipment is Needed? 

Flag Divisions: No equipment with the exception of a mouth guard (provided by the League) is required.  Players will be supplied with a numbered jersey customized with the player’s name on the back and flags.  Players can wear shorts or sweatpants.  Cleats are optional, tennis shoes are fine.

Jr. Cub & Cub Divisons: The league will provide each player with his/her own mouth guard, helmet (white), football pants/pads (white for practice and black for games), shoulder pads, practice jersey, and a game jersey that will be customized with the player’s last name on the back. The player numbers will be assigned by the coach. Each player must provide their own athletic supporter with protective cup and football cleats (metal or screw in cleats are not permitted). Arm/elbow pads and gloves are optional.  

8.      Are There Any Rules Concerning PLAYING TIME? 

League rules concerning playing time are very clear. The RFL rule is “All players shall start on offense or defense and participate in every quarter as equally as possible.” We insist that our coaches follow the letter and spirit of the rule.   The only extenuating circumstances being injury or a child refusing to play. There are no exceptions. Coaches do have some discretion to try different line-ups during the course of a game but this should not impact your child’s playing time (see the Jr. Cub offensive backfield rotation guidelines in the Jr. Cub Rules). 

If you any concerns or questions about your child’s playing time, please discuss it immediately with your coach. And if your concerns are not addressed, feel free to contact the League Commissioner. 

9.      What are the rules (if any) concerning POSITION ASSIGNMENTS? 

For a coach, assigning positions is one of the hardest things to do. We all know that each child can’t all be a running back or a quarterback. The important thing to remember is that there are a variety of positions and each one is just as important as the next. 

Each coach is different and their process will vary, but normally most of the 1st week of practice is spent evaluating each child and trying to match each child to the position that the coach feels is best suited to his skill level and how his or her skill level compares to the rest of the team.  As a parent/fan, please be open-minded regarding your coaches recommendation and support your child & coach regardless of what position he plays.