Welcome to Thunder Football

 

 Important Upcoming Dates:

Weigh-Ins:

Saturday August 2nd 8:30am

Dicks Sporting Goods, Southwest Plaza Mall

Dicks Shop Weekend:

We’re looking forward to welcoming AYL  back to DICK’S Sporting Goods for your Shop Weekend/Weigh-ins, August 1st – 4th,  2025!

Here’s the coupon link to share with families — it’s good for 20% off the entire store, great for both gear and back-to-school shopping:
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First Week of the Season:

August 23rd Kick-off to the Season

Thunder Football

LYS offers a premier tackle football program that competes against other youth clubs in the Arapahoe Youth League. Participation is available to youth ages 6-14 (1st-8th)

Grade/Age:

A player's eligibility for the season is determined by the grade he or she is entering in the fall, as well as age on May 31st of the current year. No player who has attended high school classes will be permitted to play in the AYL regardless of age. 

Offseason Workouts

All AYL teams may conduct voluntary workouts starting May 1st and continuing until the official practice start date. Teams may have 1 workout per week. Teams will not be allowed to wear pads and workouts must be non contact during this period. All players MUST be FULLY registered with LYS prior to attending team activities.  NOTE: Not every team will elect to participate in pre season workouts as this is at each coach's discretion and facilitated by each teams coaching staff.

Practices

Practices will be held on weeknights and possibly weekends during the preseason. Teams will hold 2-4 practices a week depending on the age and level of the team. Once games begin, practices will be held primarily on weeknights. All practices will be held at parks and fields within LYS territory. Practice schedules will be communicated by your coach in the weeks prior to the official practice start date. Practice schedules and locations are subject to change throughout the season based on facility availability.

2025 AYL/Thunder Calendar of Events

March 20th, 2025 2025 Football Registration Opens
April 13th, 2025 Club Evaluations
July 28th, 2025 Practices begin
August 2nd, 2025 AYL Mandatory Weigh Ins 
August 23rd, 2025 First week of regular season games
October 19th/22nd  Mini Playoffs (If Necessary)
October 25th, 2025 Playoffs
November 1st 2025 Super Bowl

THUNDER/ AYL ROOKIE TACKLE FOOTBALL LEAGUE

The Thunder and the AYL are extremely excited to announce the continuation of our ROOKIE TACKLE FOOTBALL LEAGUE running since 2019! The AYL Rookie Tackle Football League (RFL) has been designed as a bridge between Flag football and our traditional competitive tackle football program. The RFL is focused on grades from 1st through 3rd only, provides full tackle experience, and is limited to 8 players per side and smaller roster sizes.

Features of the RFL:

  • 8 players vs 8 players
  • Rosters limited to 16 players
  • Equal play required!
  • No Special Teams play, kick offs or punts!
  • Play on a 60 yard by 40 yard field (same as 4th grade)
  • Games are 20 plays per quarter at 1st & 2nd grade, 22 players per quarter for 3rd grade
  • Coaches on the field for both offense and defense
  • No Blitzing allowed
  • Full run and pass offenses allowed

The elimination of Special Teams play improves the safety of the game by removing the potential of long runs with two players colliding at high speed for the tackle. The establishment of equal play provides the best possible development aspect for players new to tackle football. In fact, our AYL RFL will require the specific players must play an entire quarter, both as offense and defense, before any substitutions are allowed!

Should you have any questions please contact Ryan Barrett at football@littletonyouthsports.org.