According to Coach Chad House, registration for youth tackle football is still ongoing for the upcoming 2023 football season. Lakeland has multiple teams for a variety of age divisions including 8U, 10U, and 12U in the tackle football divisions.
There are some upcoming changes in store for Lakeland youth football season according to Coach House. “We are excited to be joining the new Big 5 tackle football league this season,” he said. “If parents have any questions, they are free to reach out to me, or any of the coaches,” Coach House said.
The Lakeland Youth football program has always taken safety seriously and this year is no exception. “I think any parent thinking about introducing their son to tackle football is concerned with their safety. Safety will be our #1 priority in introducing these kids to the great game of football,” Coach House said.
According to coaches, here are some steps they are taking to decrease the risk of injury and safely teach the players the proper fundamentals of football.
1. Guardian Helmet Caps:
It will be optional for all 8U and 10U players that want to wear a Lakeland provided guardian during practice. Here is a link to this innovated product that reduces impact by 33%. Learn more at: https://www.guardiansports.com/football/caps/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_crVqp-G8QIVfG1vBB3CiQgJEAAYASAAEgKmQvD_BwE
2. Teaching Proper Technique with limited contact:
Lakeland will be providing us safetackle tackling wheels that will limit player to player contact in practice while teaching the proper fundamentals in fast paced drills. Here is a link to their website. Learn more at: https://safetackle.com
3. USA Football Health and Safety Guidelines
We will be following the updated USA Football health and safety guidelines. This includes a mandatory hydration break every 15 minutes and less pads during high heat and humidity. Here is a link to their website. Learn more at: https://guides.usafootball.com/5593/51790/index.html
Gear will be issued to players on July 6th, 2023, and the first day of voluntary workouts, is currently scheduled for July 10th, 2023. Workouts will be prioritized with heat acclimatization in mind. “During this time, players will only wear t-shirts and shorts. As they progress, we will allow helmets and shoulder pads but no hitting. We will have a hydration policy of water breaks every 15 minutes and our hydration policy will carry throughout August,” he said. Official practices will start the first week of August and the first games will be in late August.
The following is a football equipment list of mandatory and optional items for your son this season.
Mandatory Gear which is provided by Lakeland
* Youth Helmet
* Shoulder Pads
* Padded, practice football pants
* Padded, game football pants
* Game Jerseys
* Practice Jersey (you may want to pickup a couple extra)
* Guardian Football Cap (Optional)
Players will need to provide:
* Youth mouth piece, attachable to the face mask
* Dri-fit athletic socks
* Football cleats
Optional gear:
* Football Gloves (highly recommended for WRs and skill players)
* Back Pad or rib protectors recommended for the QB, RB, WR, and TE positions.
10U Tackle Coaches
Sean McAnally
901-606-3996
srmcanally@gmail.com
Eric Padgett
901-495-3886
Eric.padgett@whitecap.com
8U Tackle Coaches
Chad Richards
901-389-8910
crich0405@gmail.com
Chad House
901-687-5227
Chad.house@whitecap.com
