Football

Welcome to the 2025 Highlander’s Football Season

Practices will be held at:

Snyder Park

240 Snyder Ave.

Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922

Home Games are held at:

Governor Livingston High School

175 Watchung Blvd

Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922

Summer practices are Monday through Thursday 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Snyder Park. Once school begins, practices are still at Snyder Park from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays with a walk through on Saturday mornings from 9am to 10am also at Snyder Park. Home Games start times are as follows:

A Team/ Grade 8 (unless your child is playing up):

1:45pm

B Team/ Grade 7 (unless your child is playing up or down):

12:00pm

C Team/ Grade 6 (unless your child is playing up or down):

10:30am

D Team/ Grade 5 (unless your child is playing up or down):

9:00am

E Team/ Grades 3 & 4:

3:30pm

We are under the New Jersey Suburban Youth Football League (NJSYFL), a 28-town league. This league follows their own Eligible Running Back (ERB) rule which restricts athletes from running or handling the ball based on their weight for safety purposes. If anyone is over the specified weight listed on each team, they cannot run the ball (meaning they cannot play as QB, RB, WR, nor TE on offense.)

More information is detailed in the Frequently Asked Questions section.

A Team/ Grade 8: >160.9lbs

B Team/ Grade 7: >135.9lbs

C Team/ Grade 6: >120.9lbs

D Team/ Grade 5: >105.9lbs

E Team/ Grades 3 & 4: >95.9lbs

Early Bird Special: $285.00

(April 25, 2025 - June 14, 2025)

Discount code: EARLYBIRDS (discount applied at checkout)

Regular price: $325.00

(June 15, 2025 - August 10, 2025)

Support your team by sporting our team spirit. Order easily through Kelly’s Creations and Crafts via the link below. kellyscreationsandcrafts@gmail.com or (201)697-5023.

1: Under what league does Highlander Youth Tackle Football play?

Highlander Youth Tackle Football remains a member of the New Jersey Suburban Youth Football League (NJSYFL), a now 28-town league made up two divisions organized by towns of similar populations to ensure competitive play. Visit the league website at www.njsyfl.com for more information.

2: How is the NJSYFL different from other leagues?

The NJSYFL has long followed their own ERB (Eligible Running Back) rule, which restricts athletes from running or handling the ball, on offense, based on their weight. This rule is intended to minimize the number of times a lighter defender must tackle a heavier player. ERB’s get a special sticker on their helmet so the referees always know who is eligible. This applies only to the offensive positions of QB, RB, WR, and TE. The maximum weight to be eligible is:

o A Team – Grade 8 – 160.9 lbs

o B Team – Grade 7 – 135.9 lbs

o C Team – Grade 6 – 120.9 lbs

o D Team – Grade 5 – 105.9 lbs

o E Team – Grades 3 & 4 – 95.9 lbs

ERB’s must meet the above weight limit at the start of the season to be eligible for the season. They must then make that weight on game day every week to be eligible for that week’s game. Any player not meeting ERB eligibility requirements, either for the season or for a given week, are only able to play offensive line positions, or any position on defense.

3: When and where will practices be scheduled?

This year the league allows the start of organized practices on August 16th. This is intentionally later than typical Pop Warner leagues as the league wants to ensure coaches are allowing kids to maximize their summers off. If desired, we may begin conditioning-only practices a week sooner on August 11th. Summer practices will be Monday through Thursday evenings at Snyder Field. Once school begins, practices will typically occur on Tuesday and Thursday evenings only, also at Snyder Field.

4: Do all levels practice together?

Usually. Coaches are free to adjust their team’s individual schedule to best fit the needs of the team, pending field availability. Even when all levels practice at the same time, the teams mostly break up into team-only practices after initial warm-ups.

5: When and where will games be scheduled?

Games are usually on Sunday mornings and afternoons. Some towns have rules about playing on Sunday so they only host games on Saturday. Teams will play home games at Governor Livingston High School, but we might be able to schedule a Saturday night game at Snyder as we have in the past.

Sunday games usually follow the schedule below, but that often changes since many towns do not have enough levels to field 5 full teams.

o D Team – Grade 5 – 9:00 AM

o C Team – Grade 6 – 10:30 AM

o B Team – Grade 7 – 12:00 PM

o A Team – Grade 8 – 1:30 PM

o E Team – Grades 3 & 4 – 3:15 PM

6: How many players are required at any given level?

A minimum of 16 players is required at any level, but a minimum of 18 players is preferred to help ensure a full team with adequate substitutions.

7: What if there are not enough kids to create a team at a given level?

If the number of registered players for any level is below the number deemed safe and practical for a team, the players at that level will have one of two options:

A. Play at the next highest level. Note: this not an option for 3rd and 8th graders, and coaches and parents will confer regarding any player’s readiness to play up a level.

B. Play at their age level for a neighboring town under the league’s “Border Agreement”

8: What is the “Border Agreement?”

If a town does not have enough players to field a team at a given level, a neighboring town agrees to accommodate any player that would prefer to play with the neighboring town at their age-appropriate level instead of at a higher level for their own town. A player playing for a neighboring town will attend all practices and play all games with the neighboring town. The goal is to enable any player to play at their appropriate level for the most enjoyable football experience. In 2020, we followed this rule for every level, and combined with New Providence. This was very successful as all levels had sufficient players making it a better playing experience for all.

9. How do you ensure adequate playing time for all players?

The NJSYFL follows a minimum playing time rule. The number of players on a roster dictate the minimum number of plays each player must get in each game, regardless of the game situation. Each team is required to keep a record of plays played and turn that record in to the opposing coach after the game. Punishment for not following this rule can include a suspension for the offending coach or a forfeit for the offending team.

10. How and when will equipment and uniforms be distributed?

Equipment fitting and uniform distribution will occur at the equipment shed at Snyder Field. Fittings will be by appointment organized through Sign-Up Genius. Preferably, uniform fittings occur by end-July to allow time for the receipt of personalized game jerseys before the season opener.

11. What else does the NJSYFL and BHPAL do to ensure player safety?

Once again we intend to participate in Tip of the Spear training for all coaches and players. Tip of the Spear was created by former NFL players to improve technique and help eliminate helmet-to-helmet impact when blocking and fighting off blocks. This training has been adopted by many high school, college, and NFL programs.

All NJSYFL coaches are also required to be certified by USA football on safe, heads-up tackling and concussion awareness. Coaches are not allowed on the field during the game without their USA Football certification prominently displayed.

Finally, all NJSYFL games are required to be played with a medical trainer present on the sidelines and any coach is authorized to request a player from either team be evaluated by the trainer if any injury is suspected.

It is this commitment to player safety that has enabled the NJSYFL to exist and grow since 1972 while other leagues shrink or disband all together. The NJSYFL requires all new programs to enter on a probationary basis and has removed towns from the league for rule violations.