Photo via Jesse Reynolds

Hill Country Pop Warner in Austin, Texas, held its first Rookie Tackle games Sept. 2.

“I’m incredibly proud to say that the overall feedback from everyone – coaches, players, parents, volunteers and officials – has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Hill Country Pop Warner President Janan Miller. “I had coaches pull me aside to say that their kids just had the absolute best time out on the field. Hearing that makes all this worth it.”

USA Football launched Rookie Tackle in June as a bridge game between flag football and 11-on-11 tackle. Each team puts six to eight players on a playing field that’s narrower than a standard field and 40 yards in length, which allows two games to be played simultaneously. There are no special teams and coaches encourage players to try out several positions throughout the season.

Hill Country is one of 10 Rookie Tackle pilot programs across the U.S., along with Frisco (Texas) Football League, JeffCo Midget Football League (Lakewood, Colorad0), Tualatin Valley Youth Football (Oregon City, Oregon), Central Kentucky Youth Football (Lexington, Kentucky), Westfield Youth Football (Westfield, Indiana), Indy Youth Sports (Indianapolis), Cleveland Rookie Tackle (Mentor, Ohio), Suffolk County PAL Youth Football (Yaphank, New York) and Philadelphia Public League.

 

Photo via Dee Krauss-Thompson

Pop Warner Little Scholars Executive Director and National Council of Youth Sports Vice President Jon Butler applauded Hill Country’s implementation of the nascent program.

“I think it’s great. You never know when you try a new idea,” he said. “They seem to have fully embraced it and we very much appreciate it.”

For Hill Country, it was a big, successful step in a previously unknown direction.

“We are thrilled with the results so far and are excited to see what the future holds,” Miller said.

Photo via Jesse Reynolds