Youth League football

[Rebel Bert]

MHSAA needs to take control:

1 Take Enrollment of Grades 1 thru 6

2 Reclassify similar to high school

3 Eight game schedule

4 Playoff System

5 State Championships at a determined location

[Chunky6617]

1) Heck no. They already do a poor enough job with junior high and high school because they are only concerned about making more money for themselves. 
 

2) It’s not possible to do that because not enough schools have teams for all age groups, especially smaller schools. Registration for youth football has been trending down for a while, and it’s only getting worse. The only way to have teams not have to travel long distances, you have to pair them with teams who are closest geographically. That means smaller schools have to play bigger schools. 
 

3) We already have that, and 8 games is way too many games for young kids. Not to mention, if you go all the way to the championship round, that means you end up playing 12 games. Thats just way too many games for little kids. Heck junior high only plays 6 games. There’s no reason why youth should play more than junior high. 
 

4) We already have that

 

5) We already have that 

[Vott]

2 hours ago, Rebel Bert said:

MHSAA needs to take control:

1 Take Enrollment of Grades 1 thru 6

2 Reclassify similar to high school

3 Eight game schedule

4 Playoff System

5 State Championships at a determined location

I dont believe youth football in controlled by the MHSAA. In the Hattiesburg area Petal Oak Grove and Hattiesburg all have youth leagues thru their recreation dept. 

[maroontide06]

2 hours ago, Rebel Bert said:

MHSAA needs to take control:

1 Take Enrollment of Grades 1 thru 6

2 Reclassify similar to high school

3 Eight game schedule

4 Playoff System

5 State Championships at a determined location

Why do you want more corrupt MHSAA involvement in things they got no business with in the first place?  Really some strange takes here.

[Chunky6617]

50 minutes ago, Vott said:

I dont believe youth football in controlled by the MHSAA. In the Hattiesburg area Petal Oak Grove and Hattiesburg all have youth leagues thru their recreation dept. 

He is saying that the MHSAA needs to be in control of it. Hattiesburg and Petal have their own youth league, but they play in an association with other teams. Both used to be in the Mississippi Youth Football Association, but both have since left and joined another association that is only south Mississippi teams. Oak Grove plays in more of a travel ball league with teams closer to the coast. But unlike Petal and Hattiesburg, oak grove did not leave the MYFA, they were voted out due to their behavior. 
 

Youth football has become a chaotic debacle where grown men only want to live out their fantasies through little kids. It’s all about their own egos. And it’s disgusting to watch. 

Edited July 22, 2025 by Chunky6617

[Vott]

18 minutes ago, Chunky6617 said:

Hattiesburg and Petal have their own youth league, but they play in an association with other teams. Both used to be in the Mississippi Youth Football Association, but both have since left and joined another association that is only south Mississippi teams. Oak Grove plays in more of a travel ball league with teams closer to the coast. But unlike Petal and Hattiesburg, oak grove did not leave the MYFA, they were voted out due to their behavior. 
 

Youth football has become a chaotic debacle where grown men only want to live out their fantasies through little kids. It’s all about their own egos. And it’s disgusting to watch. 

So youth football is not like it used to be when you get up on saturday mornings and kids play against their friends and after the games they all go out and get lunch together at Chuck E. Cheese?

[TheAnswer]

3 hours ago, Rebel Bert said:

MHSAA needs to take control:

1 Take Enrollment of Grades 1 thru 6

2 Reclassify similar to high school

3 Eight game schedule

4 Playoff System

5 State Championships at a determined location

 

[Chunky6617]

2 hours ago, Vott said:

So youth football is not like it used to be when you get up on saturday mornings and kids play against their friends and after the games they all go out and get lunch together at Chuck E. Cheese?

Heck no. It’s a debacle. It’s grown men coaching 5-6 year olds and acting like it’s the NFL Super Bowl 

[s1nglewing]

55 minutes ago, Chunky6617 said:

Heck no. It’s a debacle. It’s grown men coaching 5-6 year olds and acting like it’s the NFL Super Bowl 

My first three boys played youth through HS. Pulled my #4 boy out when his 6yo team coaches were dropping F-Bombs in every utterance... one of which I discovered was on probation for selling cocaine across the street from a school.

[hasbeen67]

While acknowledging these obvious concerns, I guess you could find a few positives in it. At least the coaches would be certified school staff, it might be good for some kids who wouldn't have another opportunity, a little experience and small supplement for up-and-coming coaches, etc.  

Edited July 22, 2025 by hasbeen67

[pancho]

I doubt enough knowledgeable coaches could be found.  most just stand there and yell

[Rebel Bert]

MESAA or Mississippi Elementary School Athletics Association will be a good name. There are 874 Elementary schools in Mississippi. If organized and operated correctly it can work. If all participates you will need 9 or 10 classes with 7-10 per region divided into sub regions to stay within 8 game schedules. 

[Chunky6617]

It cannot work. You don’t have enough participation. You would have some schools with 7-8 year olds but not enough 9-10 year olds. Then you would have some schools with enough 9-10 year olds but not enough 11-12 year olds. The only good thing that could come from it would be they would never agree to an 8 game regular season. 

[Rebel Bert]

3 hours ago, Chunky6617 said:

It cannot work. You don’t have enough participation. You would have some schools with 7-8 year olds but not enough 9-10 year olds. Then you would have some schools with enough 9-10 year olds but not enough 11-12 year olds. The only good thing that could come from it would be they would never agree to an 8 game regular season. 

The 8 game season was to fit the playoffs in and done by Thanksgiving Saturday

[Chunky6617]

6 hours ago, Rebel Bert said:

The 8 game season was to fit the playoffs in and done by Thanksgiving Saturday

The MHSAA would not play 8 games and also have a playoff system for elementary kids. They only have 6-7 games total for junior high. 

[Rebel Bert]

13 hours ago, Chunky6617 said:

The MHSAA would not play 8 games and also have a playoff system for elementary kids. They only have 6-7 games total for junior high. 

This will have to begin under a different system from associated with MHSAA for it to work.

[s1nglewing]

This entire thread is *urinating* in the wind.