We are a not-for-profit, community-based youth travel tackle football and cheerleading program for 2nd through 8th graders. We have been operating in and serving Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Burr Ridge, Westmont, Willowbrook, Oak Brook and surrounding communities for many decades.  We are a proud member franchise of the Bill George Youth Football League (BGYFL). Our focus is on football/cheerleading fundamentals, safety/health, teamwork, sportsmanship, respect, and fun. 

Our adult coaches are all unpaid volunteers, generally parents of current or former Falcons, who make a significant commitment to the program and to the development and safety of young football players and cheerleaders. All coaches are required to acknowledge a Code of Conduct and submit to a third-party background check. All Falcons football coaches also are required to be certified annually prior to the start of each season through USA Football (see “Safety” below). We may offer small stipends for our teen junior coaches, who are qualified Hinsdale Central High School football players or cheerleaders selected by us to assist our adult coaching volunteers. 

As with all competitive contact sports, there is risk of injury, specifically including concussions, as well as a risk of transmission of communicable disease, specifically including COVID. However, the health and safety of our Falcon football and cheerleading participants is our #1 priority. As part of our commitment to safety, among other things: 

• We will monitor, adopt, implement, and observe relevant COVID protocols based on the most recently available guidelines applicable to youth football in the State of Illinois.

• We partner each season with a professional athletic training vendor which is contracted to provide a qualified athletic trainer at all home Falcon football games. Nearly every member franchise of the BGYFL also does so, so substantially all away games are covered by training staff as well. 

• We have adopted a Concussion Protocol. Prior to each season, we review our Concussion Protocol and request the review of our professional athletic training vendor. A copy of our Concussion Protocol is posted to our website prior to the start of each season. 

• We have adopted an Emergency Action Plan (EAP). As part of our EAP, among other elements, an automated external defibrillator (AED) device is available at Brook Park and Hinsdale Central High School, the site of the majority of our home games each season, either on-site or brought to the site by our professional athletic training vendor. 

• We are a participating member organization of USA Football, as is each member franchise of the BGYFL. Our participation requires each of our football coaches to take and pass a comprehensive certification course. The key health and safety components of USA Football’s youth platform are (1) concussion recognition and response, (2) heat preparedness and hydration, (3) sudden cardiac arrest, (4) equipment fitting, (5) contact limitations, and (6) tackling/blocking techniques. Our participation also provides us and our coaches access to a great deal of news, information and data on the sport of football and safety. Additional information about USA Football and its youth football platform can be found at www.usafootball.com. 

• We issue Riddell helmets, a premier manufacturer of football helmets and equipment. All of our helmets are returned to Riddell at the end of each season for inspection, cleaning, repair, and reconditioning. As a result, helmets returned to us for issuance for the upcoming season have all been re-certified by Riddell. Our shoulder pads generally are also sent to a vendor after each season for cleaning and repair. 

• We issue a padded helmet cover to each Falcon football player for mandatory use in practice. The helmet covers are washable and are easily attached/removed (for games). The covers are manufactured by Guardian Caps and are intended to mitigate risks of head injuries in practice. Additional information about Guardian Caps can be found at www.guardiancaps.com. 

• We require mandatory baseline testing to be completed by each Falcon football player, at the program’s expense, prior to the start of contact each season. 

Football registration is completed online at www.hinsdalefalcons.com.

Where Am I Able To Register?

Registration for the 2024 season will open in March 2024. 

What Information Is Required When I Register?

When registering, you will be required to provide your player’s name, basic contact information, guardian information, the grade your player will be entering in Fall 2024, medical information, and other relevant information. You will also be required to upload a copy of your player’s birth certificate and to read, acknowledge and agree to the terms of (1) our Code of Conduct, (2) an Assumption of Risk disclosure, (3) a Liability Waiver and Release, (4) a Medical Waiver and Consent to Treatment, (5) a Waiver/Release for Communicable Diseases Including COVID-19, and (5) a Consent to Use of Name/Likeness. You are strongly encouraged to carefully review each of the foregoing disclosures, waivers and releases as they impact your and your player’s rights. 

What Are Your Fee's?

Registration Date	Registration Status	Registration Fee
Through July 16th, 2024	Regular Registration	$595.00
July 17th - August 6th, 2024	Late Registration	$700.00
August 7th, 2024	Deadline for Withdraw/Refund Requests

For your registration to become effective, you MUST pay the registration fee online. Your registration date for fee purposes is determined based on the date you complete your registration, including payment. 

What are the fees used for?

We believe we offer a tremendously affordable value compared to other youth travel sports programs. Operating our non-profit program, however, incurs significant costs. We rely primarily on registration fees to fund our operations each year, supplemented only by charitable donations to our program, our other fundraising efforts, and corporate/community sponsorships. Your registration fees are used to pay for, among other things: league dues (including referee fees), costs of new/replacement equipment (including helmets and helmet covers), professional athletic training services fees, annual equipment reconditioning expenses, costs of new/replacement game uniforms, field/facility usage fees, practice field lighting rental charges, Spirit Wear inventory costs, expenses incurred with fundraising events/initiatives/activities, and advertising/promotional expenses, as well as administrative expenses, professional fees (tax and legal), and annual insurance premiums. We seek to actively manage and contain our costs to maintain our registration fees at a reasonable level.

What is your refund policy?

Our withdrawal/refund policy for the 2024 season is as follows: (1) those that withdraw prior to our annual Equipment Handout (see below) will be subject to a $50 non-refundable charge, and (2) those that do so after Equipment Handout but prior to the deadline date for withdrawal/refund requests of August 7, 2024 will be subject to a $100 non-refundable charge. 

Is a discount available for multiple children in the program?

Yes, we offer discounts for three children or more (across football and cheer). Please email us at [email protected]. 

Are full or partial scholarships available?

For special hardship/need-based circumstances we have granted a full or partial scholarship. Please email us at [email protected] if you believe you may qualify. 

When does the 2024 season officially start? The 2024 season officially starts on Monday, August 1, 2024 when teams are eligible to commence practice (see “Practice Schedule and Locations” below). Although the 2024 schedule has not been released, if history is any guide, we expect that opening game weekend (Week #1) will be the weekend of Saturday/Sunday, August 27-28, 2024. 

How many games are in the season? We expect there to be either 8 or 9 regular season games for 2. That means the final regular season game weekend will either be the weekend of Saturday/Sunday, October 15-16, 2024 (Week #8, if an 8-game regular season) or the weekend of Saturday/Sunday, October 22-23, 2024 (Week #9, if a 9-game regular season). 

When does the season end? The end of each team’s 2024 season will depend on whether the team qualifies for the playoffs and how far it advances in the playoffs. There are two rounds of playoffs immediately following the end of the regular season on consecutive weekends, which are then followed by the BGYFL’s championship weekend. The BGYFL’s championship weekend will take place over the course of Friday-Sunday in early-to-mid November and has generally been hosted by Benedictine University in Lisle. All 9U through Senior/Varsity level teams are eligible for the playoffs within their division (depending on regular season record/seeding, typically limited to the top 8 seeded teams in each division).

When are games played? Games are played on Saturday or Sunday, with the only exceptions generally being games that are postponed and rescheduled due to weather which would then generally occur on a weeknight. Game start times are generally from 8:30 AM through 4:00 PM. Games last approximately 1.5 hours. Players are required to arrive at games no later than 1 hour before the scheduled game time for weigh-ins and team warm-ups. The 2024 game schedule is expected to be available in mid-August. 

Where are the games played? Our home field is Brook Park, located at the far east end of Third Avenue in Hinsdale. Subject to availability, teams may also play certain home games at Hinsdale Central High School. Away games are played at various locations around the BGYFL. Most away games are no more than a 15-40 minute drive.

Are there pre-season scrimmages? There are a number of pre-season bowls, jamborees, and scrimmages held on weekends in August that Falcons teams can participate in in order to enhance practice and preparedness for the regular season. Participation is up to your team’s coaching staff. 

Each player will be rostered at a level solely based on age (noting the August 1 birthday cut-off). League rules generally prevent older players to play down at a level lower than their age would require. However, younger players may qualify to play at a level higher than their age/grade would warrant, if deemed appropriate by us in consultation with the player’s coaches and parents. 

The BGYFL divides each level into a Gold and Silver division. League rules require each franchise, including Falcons, to field a Gold team at each level at which the program intends to participate and, if numbers permit, a Silver team. Both Gold and Silver divisions are highly competitive, but the Gold division is intended for more experienced players/competition while the Silver division is intended to be more developmental and for most first-year players. 

If there are multiple Falcons teams within a level, your player will be placed on a team by the coaching staff at the applicable level. Age, weight and experience, among other things, are all considerations in team assignments. Team sizes can range from 13 players up to 26 players (the league maximum, although waivable with league approval).