Throughout the 2026 football season, USA Football will highlight several youth tackle football organizations across the U.S. for their dedication to supporting the sport, its athletes and local communities. This series is part of USA Football’s Tackle Tour, a celebration of the game and everything it brings the leaders and athletes who make it America’s favorite sport. 

Geoff Meyer began coaching youth tackle football in the early 1990s. In 1998, he and a handful of close friends founded The Chicagoland Youth Football League (TCYFL) to serve local communities and give young athletes a better path to learn and develop through America’s favorite sport. Nearly 30 years later, TCYFL has expanded from the five original member communities to 50 and is one of the country’s largest independent youth tackle football leagues.  

Meyer, who still serves as the program’s president, expects roughly 7,000 athletes to participate in TCYFL’s 2026 tackle football season alone. Many more will take advantage of the fall girls’ flag football program, as well as the flag football and 7-on-7 offerings in the spring. TCYFL’s tackle program is divided into various competitive levels, supporting young athletes ages 5-14 throughout Chicagoland and into southeastern Wisconsin.  

“Our goal is to promote the health and well-being of all our participants at all times. Our game creates opportunities to touch, enrich and improve kids' lives on and off the field. Football is merely the context in which we teach so much more about life,” Meyer said. “We’re always trying to get our member communities to follow our focus and values, which is practicing good health, citizenship and building character and sportsmanship, while they're participating in the greatest game on Earth. That’s what attracts so many new members.” 

With so many young athletes funneling into the program, Meyer knows it’s important to set a high standard for his coaches. TCYFL lays out expectations every year at an annual coaches meeting, encouraging volunteers to use football to teach important life lessons rather than just focusing on the scoreboard.  

“If the kids are safe, they have fun and they make new friends, then they will always love playing football,” Meyer said. “In order for every child to enjoy and continue in this incredible game of achievement, it's essential that their experience is always positive. Win or lose, no matter what.” 

TCYFL’s ties with USA Football are long-standing. The league has been involved with USA Football since roughly 2005 and was one of the earliest adopters of USA Football’s coach educational courses in the early 2010s. By 2012, Meyer decided to use USA Football’s program exclusively to help his coaches prepare for their upcoming seasons. His coaches have contributed to more than 1.3 million all-time course completions.  

Meyer and TCYFL set high expectations for their coaches because they know the impact strong role models can have on young athletes, on and off the field.  

“It’s important to have coaches lead by example,” Meyer said. “We want to teach kids to be responsible for their actions. I'm all about the DRIP: Discipline, Respect, Integrity and Pride. That's what I want our coaches to instill in our players.” 

DRIP is just one of several key acronyms and mantras Meyer developed over the years. One he began using in the 1990s was, ‘Do the DEW.’ DEW stands for ‘Disciplined Execution Wins every time’ and emphasizes the importance of attention to detail and working as a team to achieve a collective goal.  

While DEW and DRIP outline important principles that carry over from the football field into everyday life, only one saying sits front-and-center on TCYFL’s website.  

“‘One team, one family’ for TCYFL has been my mantra since 1998, and this year we’re expanding it to ‘one team, one family united by football,” Meyer explained. “We are all in it for the same common goals for our children. We're not enemies. We're friendly rivals with the same common goal to support our children, and we do it through the greatest game on earth, football. There's no game on the planet that unites us like football. Football doesn't care how big or small you are, how fast or slow you are – it's everybody working together for the same common goal, which is the betterment of the team.”

TCYFL’s family has grown pretty large over the years and includes a number of hometown heroes. Chicago Bears Cole Kmet, T.J. Edwards and Jack Sanborn all spent portions of their early football journeys with local TCYFL teams. The same goes for former Green Bay Packers first round pick Lukas Van Ness and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell, just to name a few. Currently over 40 TCYFL alumni are in the NFL.  

With TCYFL approaching its 30th anniversary, the league is becoming a generational bridge. Many former players and coaches are now enjoying watching their kids or grandkids suit up on Saturdays and Sundays. Meyer is no exception. Two of his grandsons play tackle football, while one of his granddaughters plays flag. Two more granddaughters participate as cheerleaders.  

“I just love it all – the people, the coaches, my referees, our administrators. Everything. I owe a great debt of gratitude to the Executive Board and can’t thank them enough for supporting my vision,” Meyer said. “Being a grandfather with seven grandkids is just awesome. I’m still so passionate about it and love what I do. It's like a fine oiled machine, and I still have the fire. My goal every day when I wake up with my business, and especially with football, is to make a positive difference in as many lives as I can. I'm able to do that through the greatest game on earth. That’s what drives me.” 

Chicagoland was the first stop of USA Football’s Tackle Tour. On Aug. 27, several USA Football staff members attended a scrimmage to show their support, speak with coaches and parents and celebrate TCYFL’s success. More visits with outstanding programs are scheduled for later this fall. To follow the Tackle Tour, visit usafootball.com or check out USA Football on Instagram.