If you don't see your question below, please send an email to Tom Lovik at the link listed at the bottom of this page for help!

When is Football Registration?

Registrations are held in late spring to early summer.  We do our best to accommodate late sign-ups, and a wait list will be available once registration is closed to fill any further spots available on teams. However, team placement is not guaranteed.  Team placement is only guaranteed by signing up within the registration open time frame. 

When does the season start and end? Practices officially begin in August with games beginning in September. The season will be done by the end of October. 

When are the games?  Youth football games can be played any day of the week/weekends starting in September and ending by November 1st.  The leagues themselves will determine the exact times.  We will do our best to share all practice and game schedules on your Team Page on the CRAA website, www.craakids.com.

Where are the games?  Game locations will vary per grade level. We will play some games in the Coon Rapids area as well as surrounding communities.

Where and when are the practices? Practices will vary by team.  It will be up to the coach to determine the dates and locations of practices.  The first week of practice will be in August.

How much will registration cost? 

Our costs for the 2019 season are as follows:

• 2nd Grade* $100.00
• 3rd - 4th Grade* $150.00
• 5th- 6th Grade* $150.00
• 7th-8th Grade* $175.00

*Based on the grade that player will enter that fall

Discounted rates are available to those who receive free/reduced lunch. To obtain the discount code (to be used when you register online), please email a copy of your free/reduced lunch form to cardinalyouthfootball@gmail.com.

What equipment will my player need? CRAA Cardinal Youth Football will provide players with a football helmet, football shoulder pads, practice, and game jerseys and football pants.  Players need to provide their mouth guard, protections and cleats. All equipment must be turned in at the end of the season.

Can my daughter play football? Yes.  CRAA Cardinal Youth Football is open to anyone who lives in Coon Rapids from 2nd to 8th grade.

Will my child get to play on the same team as his friends?  We may accommodate some request for playing with friends for 2nd grade.  The 3rd - 8th-grade teams will be organized by player draft to ensure equal teams are created (if the volumes support more than one team).

Will there be tryouts? No, but we will have an event at the beginning of the season called the Cardinal Combine for player evaluations that will be a fun football skills related event.  This is to ensure that coaches can draft players equitably to create even teams.

Are there weight restrictions for carrying the ball?  The leagues we play in have Ball Carrier weight limits as follows:

2nd/3rd Grade - 90lbs (can carry the ball if 90lbs or less)
4th Grade-100lbs (can carry the ball if 100lbs or less)
5th Grade-125lbs (can carry the ball if 125 or less)
6th Grade-135lbs (can carry the ball if 135 or less)

Players in excess of the weights will have a stripe of red tape affixed to their helmet from the front to the back and will not be allowed to carry the ball except in the case of a fumble recovery, interception or a kick that goes directly to the player (i.e., no lateral or hand-off allowed).

What League do we play in? 

Leagues are looked at each year by our League Coordinators to research what leagues work best for each grade. It is with their input that leagues are decided before the start of each season.  For 2018, our 2-6th-grade teams will be playing in the North Metro Youth Football league and our 7-8th-grade teams in the North Suburban Youth football league.  You can see information and links to the leagues and their handbooks/rules on the right column.

How can parents help?  We send out Head Coach applications in August of each year.  We are always looking for volunteers to help out in other areas as well, from helping to set up the fields, coordinating kids during evaluations or just helping police the sidelines.  Please contact Tom Lovik and let us know what you are interested in doing or how you can help.

Our teams play games for the leagues below.  The game scheduling is done by the leagues and, when announced, will be added to the calendars on each team's page.  Handbooks for the leagues can be found below with rules and regulations for each league.

The 2nd - 6th Grade 2017 Games Schedule will be Posted by August 25th

Most games are played on Saturdays at various sites in the north metro. If teams are scheduled to play during the week games are normally scheduled on the following days:

3rd & 6th Grade: Tuesday, 6:30 or 7:45 PM
2nd grade: Wednesday, 6:30 or 7:45 PM
4th & 5th Grade: Thursday, 6:30 or 7:45 PM

*5th & 6th Grade second game of the night starts at 8:00 PM due to length of the games.