Tomcat Youth Football & TCYFL Cares about our players! 
Tomcat Youth Tackle Football has adopted USA Football’s “Heads Up” tackling method. Practicing this technique over and over again at various speeds helps our players realize proper execution and ensures safety. Furthermore, our program and the league require certified athletic trainers to be present during all games.
Our Team-Our Family
The Chicagoland Youth Football League (TCYFL), one of the largest Independent Youth Tackle Football Leagues in the United States, fields thousands of players on hundreds of teams from thirty eight Member Communities based throughout the Chicagoland and southeastern Wisconsin areas, including....
Antioch, Barrington, Bartlett, Batavia/N.Aurora, Buffalo Grove, Cary, Crystal Lake, Dundee, East Aurora, Ela Township, Elgin, Gilberts / Pingree Grove / Hampshire (GPH), Grant, Grayslake, Huntley, Johnsburg, Kenosha, Lake in the Hills, Lake Villa, Libertyville, McHenry, Mundelein, Naperville, North Chicago, North Shore, Oak Park, Plainfield, Portage Park, Prairie Ridge, Prospect Heights, Round Lake, Villa Park, Warren, Wauconda, Waukegan, Western Kenosha County, Woodstock, and Zion Benton.
The Ultimate Football Experience
There is no more important responsibility than leading our young children. TCYFL recognizes that this unique privilege carries with it a tremendous duty to prepare our coaches to accept and perform this important mission in the most positive, safest and fun way possible.
Education and guidance from TCYFL down to each and every one of our coaches within each of our 38 member communities is essential. We are continually building upon our positive local support and continually provide a framework and guidelines for all of us to work together effectively.
Of course a lot of the guidance for all of our coaches is designed around the teaching of the great game of football. But football is merely just the context in which we teach our children about so much more. Football has never been safer than it is today because it is always forward thinking and has evolved every season into a better and safer game through uniformity and standardization.
Our parents entrust their children to us for only a short time, but in this short time we have an enormous impact on their lives. We continually prepare our coaches for one of the most important assignments that they will ever undertake.
As they represent themselves, their teams, their communities and TCYFL as a whole, we want them to be confident and assured that they have the unequalled support behind them of ONE TEAM-ONE FAMILY.
Health & Safety
The TCYFL values the health and safety of our players and coaches above and beyond all other aspects of the game.
We are continually committed to raising the bar by implementing initiatives and activities that will contribute to the safety, health and well-being of all our players, coaches and officials uniformly and standardized for all.
Mandatory Initiatives
• Baseline ImPACT Cognitive testing of all of our TCYFL players that are 10 years old and older as of September 1, each year. Testing every 2 years for returning players ( except 10 yr )
• Certified Athletic Trainer personnel at all sanctioned TCYFL games
• Player Safety Coach within each Member Community.
• Incident/Accident injury Reporting of all games and practice
• Continual Advanced Communications of Health & Safety information via our website and social media
• Advanced governance and tracking of all injuries
• By-Law and Policy additions and modifications to support and expand all of our policy initiatives from 2006-2013
• Health and Nutrition education information communicated to our players and families
• Heat and Hydration guidelines initiated from the league level
• Reduced exposure through reduction of pre-season and in-season full contact practice
Mandatory Coaching Requirements
• All coaches are “Heads Up” Certified. (2012) USA Football
• All coaches most watch our 1.5 hr Advanced Concussion Training video (2012) SLI-Chris Nowinski
• All new coaches must attend a live Positive Coaching Alliance workshop every 3 years. (2008) PCA
• Hold a team parent player educational safety meeting at the beginning of each season (2010) TCYFL
• Incident/Accident injury Reporting of all injuries in games and practices (2012) Bigtime Web Design
• Attend Head Coaches meeting prior to start of season (2002)
Advisors & Support
• Dr Gail Rosseau M D
• Dr Elizabeth Pieroth Psy. D
• Dr Gerry Gioia Ph. D.
• Dr Catherine McGill Psy. D
Annual Events
7 on 7 (April-May)
A Football Mom (May & July)
Coaches Clinics (June- August)
Free Player Camps (June-July)
All TCYFL Game (July)
Cares Golf Outing (July)
Jamborees (August)
Punt, Pass & Kick (July-November)
Football (August-November)
TCYFL Network ”Game of the Week” (September-November)
Breast Cancer Awareness (October)
TCYFL Giving Days (November)
State Championship Series (November)
Toys for Tots (December)
And so much more!
PROUD PARTNERS
DICKS SPORTING GOODS
ACCELERATED REHABILITATION CENTERS
HAMMER-STRENGTH
USA FOOTBALL
NORTHSHORE HEALTH SYSTEMS
CENTEGRA HEALTH SYSTEMS
VISION FRIENDLY
BIGTIME WEBDESIGN
MISSION
The TCYFL Cares mission is to support selected special needs of its Member Communities, players and families, and others around us who are in need. TCYFL Cares operates with funds raised separately and segregated from those used for normal league operations. That support takes the form of volunteering, monetary donations, equipment donations, scholarships to pay local registration fees for players from low-income families, and leadership equities and development for TCYFL MC’s.
CARES INITIATIVES
• Play Football Grants
• Registration and Enrollment- Fees
• League Advertising
• Community Donations
• Equipment Donations
• Sister Community Mentoring Program
• Misc. Grants
WE BELIEVE! DO YOU!