In 2013 the town of Lake Zurich lost membership in the distinguished TCYFL. The Chicagoland Youth Football League is the largest independent youth football league in the county. Being independent allows TCYFL to still operate as a family, keeping faithful to its motto of “one team one family”. It is not uncommon at a Saturday or Sunday football game to see players on opposing teams helping each other up after a tackle or offering a pat on the back after a good play. TCYFL definitely places a priority on teaching kids that football is a game where you should have fun and make friends. Being the largest in the country also comes with some perks. It has given TCYFL recognition by both the NFL and USA Football, and they both have worked closely with TCYFL to help it stay at the cutting edge of safety. USA Football has even recognized the greatness of TCYFL by working with them to develop the Youth Football Rules Book, and even made TCYFL president Geoff Meyer an ambassador to the NFL. TCYFL is such a leader of safety in youth football that other local football leagues have followed and implemented ideas that TCYFL began using years earlier. One example is baseline concussion testing; other leagues offer this as a courtesy, but TCYFL has required this for many years.
Size matters. TCYFL benefits by having 38 member communities with over 10,000 youth football players fielding over 400 teams. This ensures there will always be a place for everyone, whether you are a large town or a new league just starting out. TCYFL has multiple levels of play (Big 1o, Mac 10, Pac 10, and even the new Wac level), 9 different divisions of play, 3 different playoff divisions, and flexible weight exceptions which guarantee there is a place for every child to play regardless of age, weight, or skill level. This is something that no other football league in the Chicagoland area can offer your child, and it also ensures that every town is treated fairly, and competitively. This diversity also ensures that you won’t play teams from your own town or other towns in the same season over and over again. TCYFL’s culture is one of inclusion not exclusion which is why they continue to add new communities each and every year.
TCYFL also knows the importance of families and the importance of your child to your family, no matter where they are. This is why they developed the TCYFL network, where each week two teams at each level are chosen to play the game of the week broadcasted live from Carmel High School. There is nothing more exciting to a young child then playing on the field of a prominent high school such as Carmel. And how awesome is it that out of area family members can watch the game online?
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TCYFL also knows that you don’t get this big without the support of those around you which is why they came up with TCYFL Cares, a program developed to give back to those in need. TCYFL believes in giving back to the communities that have helped turn it into the great success that it is today. TCYFL cares also teaches our youth an important life lesson, the importance of helping out others when they are in need.
TCYFL is the single best preparation for high school football in the area. You may think that is an opinion, and it may be, but it is one that is shared by most high schools in Lake and McHenry County. All but two high schools in Lake County have a TCYFL feeder program, the two that don’t only have park district football programs. Football is and will always be the greatest sport around. We all want what is best for our kids; the best clothes, the best schools, why not the best youth football league, TCYFL! The Ela Jr. Bears are proud TCYFL members right here in Lake Zurich. For more information or to register please visit www.elajrbears.com.
