LTRC youth football exists for the following purpose:

“To provide an atmosphere for children to learn about the game of football, sportsmanship, self-discipline, responsibility, teamwork, trust, honesty and personal achievement. We will accomplish this by providing a teaching environment that promotes fun and safety first while challenging the children to always try their very best and accept the results of that effort.”

Our football program plays in the Greater Baltimore Youth Football League. We currently field teams in the 7 and under Clinic, 8 and under, 9 and under, 10 and under, 11 and under, 12 and under and 14 and under age divisions. When numbers permit, we will field multiple teams at a given age division. We typically hold open registrations around the end of April and beginning of May. Placement at each age division is based on the child's age only. The date cut-off for age determination is the age of the child on August 31st for 7U Clinic, 8U and 9U and July 31st for 10U through 14U.

The current age divisions are as follows:

7 and Under Clinic
No weight limit

8 and Under Division
No weight limit

9 and Under Division
No weight limit

10 and Under Division
No weight limit

11 and Under Division
No weight limit

12 and Under Division
No weight limit

14 and Under Division
No weight limit


In Order to comply with league rules and to put each kid into the best situation to be successful, kids will be placed in the youngest age division in which they are eligible to play.

Starting the 2013 season GBYFL will no longer have Older-but-Lighter players in any age group.  Players that have played OBL in previous years will be reassigned to the age group in which they are eligible to play.

The LTRC football program is primarily a travel program. Meaning our teams play other teams from other recreation councils. We play approximately 8 games a season (excluding playoffs) with approximately half of our games at our home field of Seminary Park and the other half at the home field of the other recreation councils. Typically the travel time to the other fields is minimal (30 minutes or less). However, on rare occasions the travel time can be upwards of 45 minutes to an hour. The season runs until mid to late November. The lone exception is our 7U clinic program; it is an in-house program that is designed to better allow the kids to focus on learning football and having fun.

All of the age divisions except for 7U Clinic are competitive. Meaning the score of their games are kept, referees are present, there is a winner and a loser, records are kept, there is a playoff system and a championship. Most of the teams play in accordance with the High School Federation rules except where modified by our lea.gue rules. Our complete rule book is located on this website under the “Football Rulebooks” folder.

The 7U age division is clinic however, the clinic is full contact and the kids are fully padded including helmets. The kids are divded into teams and a schedule is made so that the teams will play each other. Unlike other rec councils our clinic program does not travel to play other Rec Councils as we feel it will better allow us to focus on the core philosophies of this age group; to be instructional and fun for the children. Time is taken by coaches on both sides to explain to the children rules and certain techniques in playing the game (e.g., blocking and tackling). There are no playoffs, scores are not kept and records are not maintained. Therefore, the need for Super Bowl-level competition during these scrimmages is unnecessary and unwarranted.

All equipment excluding cleats, a protective cup and a practice jersey are provided by LTRC football. That includes game pants, game jerseys, practice pants, helmets, shoulder pads, pant’s pads and mouth pieces. This equipment is included in the price of registration. It is issued prior to the first practice and must be returned to LTRC at the conclusion of the season.

Practice for LTRC youth football typically begins on or around the 1st of August. 8U thru 14U practice 4 nights per week from 6-8pm during the month of August. 7U practices 2 to 3 nights a week during August. Vacations, particularly extended vacations, during the month of August are strongly discouraged as the August practices are where the children will be assigned teams, positions and taught the fundamentals of the game. If a child misses an inordinate number of practices in the month of August, it will very likely affect which team they play on, their amount of playing time and which positions they will play. Once the season starts (around the last Saturday in August) we practice anywhere from 2 to 3 nights per week.

Our program can not maintain its continued success without volunteers. We are always in need of volunteers to help with coaching, administration, the concession stand, fundraising and team mom’s. If you are interested in volunteering your time, please contact me or someone else involved with the program.

If you have any questions or would like some additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Steve Szymanski
Chairperson
LTRC Youth Football