Built on safety.
Here is what that means.
Most parents who say no to football are not really saying no. They are saying they do not know enough. Fair enough. So here is everything, in plain language, with no sales pitch attached.
There is an EMT at every game
Not on call. On site, every single game the Bears play. As far as we know, no other youth program in this town that puts a helmet on a kid does that.
How much hitting is there, really?
Less than you are picturing. Full contact in practice is capped at 30 minutes a day, and 90 minutes for the entire week during the season. We practice three times a week.
That is a conference rule we play under, built on USA Football guidance. The rest of a two hour practice is footwork, conditioning, position work, and learning where to stand.
What if my kid is not ready for tackle?
Then do not start with tackle. Start with flag. Same field, same coaches, same team, no contact.
Plenty of kids play a season of flag and move up when they are ready. Some stay in flag and love it. Both are completely fine, and nobody here will push your child into pads to fill a roster spot.
Who is coaching my kid?
Every coach in this program is screened and certified, and every one of them is an unpaid volunteer.
Most of them played here. A few are coaching the same field their own dad coached them on. They are not former college coaches and we will not pretend otherwise. They are people from town who did the training, passed the check, and show up at 5:30 four nights a week.
What happens if there is a head injury?
The player comes out immediately, not at the end of the drive. They do not return that day, and they do not return at all without written clearance from a doctor.
No coach can overrule that and no parent can talk us out of it. That is the whole point of having it in writing.
How do you handle the helmet?
It gets fitted to your individual kid, not handed out on a size guess. If it shifts during the season, it gets refitted.
You are welcome to watch the fitting, and to ask your coach to show you how to check it yourself at home. Most parents do not realise they can. You can.
August in Connecticut is hot. What about that?
Water breaks are scheduled, not earned. A kid who says they need water gets water, every time.
Coaches watch for the early signs of heat trouble, and practice gets shortened or moved when conditions call for it. Send a full bottle with a name on it. Send two.
What does the first practice look like?
Cleats and shorts. No pads for the first stretch. A lot of standing around learning names, conditioning they will complain about, and a water break every fifteen minutes.
Nobody gets hit on day one, and nobody gets yelled at for not knowing anything, because none of them know anything yet. That is what day one is for.
What does it cost?
Nothing. Zero registration fee, and we hand you a helmet, pads, and full uniform. You bring cleats.
No activity fee, no equipment fee, no fundraising requirement, no selling anything door to door. Cost is never the reason a kid in this town sits out.
One thing we will not do
We are not going to tell you football is risk free, because no honest person can tell you that about any contact sport. There is real, ongoing debate among doctors and researchers about tackle football and young kids, and if you go looking you will find it. You should look.
What we can tell you is exactly what we do, which is everything on this page. And if after reading it you would rather your kid play flag for a year, or two, or all of it, that is a completely reasonable decision and there is a spot for them either way.
Still have a question? Every division has a coach you can email before you commit to anything. Find your coach or reach the board of directors.