How Old Does Your Kid Have To Be To Play Football?

If your family loves football — watching it, going to games, and tossing one around the yard — of course there may come a day when your kid asks to sign up for a team. So, how old does your kid have to be to play football? Because of how popular the sport is in the U.S., it shouldn’t be difficult finding a local youth league (with their age restrictions listed on their website or a phone call away). But because of concerns around concussions — specifically their cumulative effects on the brain over years of play — you might decide that while your child is technically old enough to play, you want them to wait.

How old does your kid have to be to play football?

Short answer: it depends. First, you’ll have to look into local leagues, and national ones that have teams in your area. Pop Warner is perhaps the most well-known name in youth football leagues, and they enroll children as young as age 5. You probably won’t find many (or any) tackle football leagues that take kids younger than that. If you’re not sure where to start and a Google search doesn’t lead you anywhere, check with your local YMCA and Boys & Girls Club to see if they have teams or camps.

In the future, the state you live in may affect the age at which you can enroll your kid in football. California lawmaker Kevin McCarty introduced new legislation that, if adopted, will require children in the state to be at least 12 years old to play tackle football in order to “protect young athletes from being subjected to brain injury and trauma,” according to a press release on McCarty’s website. This limit would take effect in January of 2026.

While there’s no other legislation around age limits in youth football right now, it’s something that may come up for parents in the future. Concussion prevention advocacy groups, like the Concussion Legacy Foundation, are working to remove head impacts of any kind, like tackling and headers in soccer, from kids’ sports until the age of 14. But other authorities on the matter — like the National Alliance for Youth Sports, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and USA Football — haven’t yet put forth any age limits or recommendations.

What’s the best age to start football?

This question is hotly debated, and the answer for your child will come down to your own assessment of the risks and benefits of playing this sport. The big things most parents and doctors worry about are concussions and the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. CTE is a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated trauma to the brain, according to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, and can cause a wide array of symptoms: aggression, anxiety, impaired judgment, and more.

So, when do kids’ health experts think they should start football to minimize the risk of head injuries? “There is currently no consensus on when to start tackle football,” says Dr. Naomi Brown, M.D., FAAP, CAQSM, pediatric sports medicine specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Freshman year of high school is a reasonable time to make this transition, but this decision may be made on an individual basis, taking into account physical characteristics, maturation status, and desire for participation in contact sports.”

Parents should also weigh their child’s history of previous injuries, and any medical conditions or concerns, when deciding to enroll them in football, says Dr. Paul J. Gubanich, M.D., MPH, pediatric sports medicine physician at Cincinnati Children’s.

Benefits of playing football

But what about all the developmentally healthy aspects of playing a team sport? They are mentally and physically challenging, Brown points out, and can teach kids about communication, being a leader, and working as a team, on top of improving their motor skills and strength.

If you’re interested in enrolling your child in football sans tackling, while still getting the benefits of playing the game, flag football might be right for your family. “Children can start throwing a football and participating in various non-contact sports as early as age 4. Football can be a great way to teach children basic motor skills like running, catching, and throwing, as well as hand-eye coordination and teamwork. Most of the basic skills for football can be developed in flag football,” says Brown. For the safest path into playing football, Brown says parents could stick to flag football until shortly before high school, then find a program that teaches modified tackling, giving kids a chance to learn the proper tackling techniques to reduce injury before heading into high school.

“I think flag football is very reasonable alternative for those that love the sport of football...while still allowing for the development of skills for the sport and ability to engage in regular exercise,” says Gubanich. “Opportunities exist to make youth sports safer, such as approaches to technique, length and intensity of seasons, and the content of practices (like less hitting and controlled drills).” That’s where doing your research on the football program your child wants to join comes in.

What should parents look for in a football program?

One of the challenges of making youth sports safer nationwide is that there isn’t much regulation or standardization of how practices are run or the equipment used, Gubanich points out. When you’re scouting out a potential team for your kid, the AAP recommends:

• Checking out the playing field. Is it level and clear of debris? Are the goal posts padded?
• Ensuring there is easy access to drinking water at all times.
• Measuring your child’s equipment (like their pads and helmet) to ensure the safest possible fit.

Don’t be afraid to ask the coach lots of questions too. “Youth coaches should always prioritize player development over winning. Injuries often occur when players are out of position, confused about their assignments, or playing outside of the rules,” says Brown. “Parents should ensure that athletes have good, well-fitting protective equipment, and that coaches are following rules and not subjecting athletes to excessive practices.”

For younger kids, choosing a team that limits contact in practices may lower the risk of concussions and impact-related injuries, according to an AAP 2015 statement on tackling in youth football (and Gubanich seconds this). There is also some evidence suggesting that teams with athletic trainers present at practices and games have fewer sports-related injuries overall, the statement says, so ideally your child’s team would have one too.

You should also ensure that your child’s potential coach has had concussion training, and does not allow athletes to continue to play after a head injury. Brown recommends the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s HEADS UP to Youth Sports online training, which is available on the CDC website for free.

In short, your child can start playing tackle football around the age of 5, depending on the age limits of your local leagues. When you actually want to sign your child up, however, is a personal decision for every family.

“As a family, you need to decide whether the risks of football outweigh the benefits. Speaking to trusted experts, such as your pediatrician or a sports medicine specialist, may be helpful to you in navigating this topic as a shared decision.”

Expert:

Dr. Naomi Brown, M.D., FAAP, CAQSM, pediatric sports medicine specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Dr. Paul J. Gubanich, M.D., MPH, pediatric sports medicine physician at Cincinnati Children’s