New youth league - how to make it awesome

Everybody gets a trophy.
No scoreboard.
Everybody wins.

( could resist)

I'm glad I quit coaching.

Awesome stuff, coach!  Keep'm coming.

A friend of mine has big $ in a league that he runs here is a VERY HIGH BUDGET version of what I was referring to with the weekly show:

Interview and only hire GOOD COACHES who will teach fundamentals and focus on player development. Have rules for parent behavior on sidelines... my son's coach was being HAMMERED by a parent today because apparently our 7/8 year old kids are experts in body control and are only screwing up because of the coach's playcalls and coaching... totally a joke. An 8 year old missed a tackle... "coach you suck!" is the resulting comment from dad on the sideline.

My opinion, I do not like football for kids prior to Junior High. We got rid of it and our program got better and numbers went up. Everyone says you have to have good coaches, but even them I am not sure it matters. Soccer and flag football are much better for development of the child at those ages, as they have to learn to correctly move around. Just my two cents, I know most on here will disagree but that's fine because it works for us.

You're mixed up.  Use a scoreboard, and start each team with 100 points!

I agree. I think that kids that age should be playing Calvinball, making up their own rules and figuring things out for themselves. 

I feel ya... but watching participation rates drop and letting our beloved sport go the way of the dinosaur actually makes me throw up.

a little social media marketing and an appeal to Gen Z/Gen Alpha goes a long way. 

but hey ... I guess I'll be the first Fortnite Coach to bring film study, drills, and playbooks into the Esports realm.

agree on the phony rings and glitz... hilarious watching an incomeing freshman walking into highschool with the swagger of a superbowl champ when in reality they were on a STACKED team that just out muscled the rest of their league.

def can ruin a kid for life if you don't humble them quickly i.e.: "coach don't know what he's talking about I scored 38 TDs in 8th grade" ... we made damn sure to humble them real quick on JV.

by game 2 the bright one's realize that there are more kids at their skill/talent level on the other sideline then ours.

no not at all (for us) its just honest coaching... and the kid getting nailed on a kick return when they realize they aren't the fastest kid on the field anymore lol

but I do see exactly what you are saying ... maybe its a sign for freshman/jv ball to step things (we had all a kid with a laptop to play the music, entrance theme, crowd, cheerleaders, etc. ... of course our league's "JV" level is full of fully stocked 50-60 man rosters and plays on saturdays ... so we have a higher expecation)

This is probably true in many places, and a result of demographics.  Simply put, the number of children per square mile, once it drops below a certain point, makes pickup team sports -- and a lot of other activities we were used to seeing by children -- infeasible.  And for particular sports, you can subtract from that number children who are recent immigrants from a place that sport isn't common in.

People move out to the suburbs to raise children, but if those suburbs are low enough in density to make it impracticable for children to walk to many friends' houses, then child-initiated activities just won't happen.  In some cases biking may substitute for walking, but it's not as easy to get to know others your age by meeting them on bikes.  Hence the recent phenomenon of the parent-arranged play date.  Also the stories we're reading about of children unaccompanied by adults being marked as victims of neglect; then the pickup culture becomes effectively illegal.

There are other adverse consequences for football of a drop in the number of children per household (independently of the number per square mile).  When children become rare, they become precious...fragile...items for the display case.  Childless couples don't have experience they can pass along to their friends and neighbors with children, and it's amazing to me how dimly many people remember their own childhood.  (Apparently those of us who can remember back to when we were very young are the minority.  It's one of those mental capacities that those of us who have take for granted until we learn by experience that many others don't share.)

I've coached youth ball for two seasons in two different leagues. One season was some of the most fun I've had as a coach, the other season was the WORST (I'm not over exaggerating). Here's what the better league did:

1. Emphasized development above all else. The number one priority was coaching the kids and getting them playing time. There was a high minimum playing time quota set and, as coaches, we had to justify not getting a kid the minimum with the league.

2. Scores were kept at games but there weren't playoffs. IMO, playoffs and a championship are detrimental to youth sports. There are too many things involved in a playoff system that can detract from development during the regular season. And, the playoff system invite a lot of chit coaches and bad parents.

3. In the better league, coaches were thoroughly screened. Daddies weren't allowed to coach unless they had been in the league prior to their kid(s) joining. The league had no tolerance for poor coaching habits and was run by a strict commissioner; he'd remove a coach from the league if they were a problem.

4. The parents had a contract they had to sign with a clear, strict set of rules and guidelines for behavior and communication. If they were a PITA, they weren't allowed to come to games. And, the commissioner had no problem removing obnoxious parents from games; I saw cops escort a parent off of the grounds once.

5. Nothing about the league screamed glitz or glamour and it was set up this way intentionally.

Remember, at the end of the day, it's about the kids learning to practice hard, enjoy the game and play on Saturday. A 4th grader that shows up every day and works hard isn't going to give a chit if they're "league champions" but he never sees the field.

No special teams. Such a waste of practice time. No punting, no PAT, no FG, no kickoffs.
Refs have enormous latitude for mercy rules, so if you’re dominating a team and stop them on fourth down in their own red zone he might just back you up fifty yards. Because who gives a crap, you’re up by a hundred in a kids’ game. Or just declare that Ralph can’t play RB any more this game. Because again, you’re up by a hundred, Ralph’s got 250 yards and 4 TDs, and he’s too big and strong for anyone to enjoy themselves when he’s running, Ralph himself included.
Find coaches who enjoy competing more than they enjoy winning. Guys who want to compete are looking to win within the spirit of the game, guys who want to win are going to find little word games in the rules.
Preventive officiating. Don’t throw a flag unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Promote a game that MOVES. No five-minute huddles, get organized, run a small enough playbook that kids can understand it.
This may be heretical, but 9-man. Shrink the field and make it so that their little brains can grasp what’s going on with fewer players, and reduce the track meet aspect of so many toss and sweep leagues.