MGYFA Flag Football

The Maple Grove Youth Football Association is an instructional program that focuses on the fundamentals of the game. Our program is designed for kids to play football rather than to watch football. Our primary goal is straightforward; we want as many kids possible to be playing football.

We measure the success of our program in how many kids come back the next year. With the assumption being, they will return only if they had a positive experience in the prior years. While winning is certainly a factor in a positive experience it is not the primary factor for kids, parents or our program.

We also have come to learn that kids learn more than offensive and defensive football skills in our program. Our players learn how to work together in a team setting and they learn how to resolve conflicts by observing how adults (referees, coaches and parents) resolve conflicts.

Ages

What aged players are appropriate for this program?

SPRING LEAGUE: Appropriate players are those in grades K-8.

The spring league program will be broken up into grade divisions.

NOTE: DUE TO LACK OF SIGN UPS YEAR OVER YEAR WE WILL NO LONGER OFFER FLAG FOR 8TH GRADE BOYS. FOR SPRING LEAGUE ONLY.

*6TH AND 7TH WILL BE COMBINED*

FALL LEAGUE: Appropriate players are those in grades 1-3.

GIRLS DIVISION: Appropriate players are those in grades 1-8.

FORMAT

We play a 5 on 5 Flag game on a 40-yard field. This is a low-pressure and FUN league, and we encourage coaches to give the kids as much autonomy as they can.

We want coaches much more involved with teaching football strategy and skills at the Crimson Level, but want the kids to have the opportunity to increase their level of input for play calling and in-game strategy at each ascending level, to the point that we encourage our Varsity Division teams to have their coaches merely watch from the sidelines and assist in rotations while the players manage the game themselves.

LOCATIONS

FALL LEAGUE:

Fernbrook Athletic Fields

Address: 14401 99th Ave N, Maple Grove, MN 55369

SPRING LEAGUE:

MGYFA is providing the administration and oversight to this Spring Flag Football Program on behalf of the City of Maple Grove and the Maple Grove Parks and Recreation Department.

Unlike our Fall Football Season, MGYFA does not have exclusive rights to Fernbrook Fields in the Spring, and as a result we will need to utilize other facilities within the City of Maple Grove, which could include Fernbrook Fields, the Dome Turf at Maple Grove High School, Maple Grove Middle School and the new Gleason Fields complex. The City of Maple Grove is responsible for our Field Assignments.

PRACTICE AND GAMES

When are practices & games and how often are they?

FALL LEAGUE:

Practices will be held on Tuesday night and games will be held each Saturday during the fall season.

FALL GIRLS DIVISION:

Practices will be held on Wednesday night and games will be held each Saturday during the fall season.

SPRING LEAGUE:

Games will be held each Sunday during the spring season with coaches holding pre-game practices at their discretion prior to game times. No sanctioned practices are allowed outside of a one-hour window prior to the scheduled weekly game time.

Specific game schedules will be released as field availability is announced.

UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT

We will provide all players a jersey and flag set, and each team with one football.

Every player must provide their own mouth guard, and football cleats are recommended but not required (molded spikes only, no metal). No metal jewelry, watches or wearable technology (anything with metal or hard plastic) are allowed. Silicon or braided fabric bracelets/necklaces are OK.

GAME DAY OFFICIALS

We utilize High School aged kids as our referees, most of whom are in the Maple Grove Football program.

If you have a returning 8th grader in the spring or High Schooler that would like to be involved, please reach out to flag.football@mgyfa.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MGYFA?

The Maple Grove Youth Football Association (MGYFA) is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to offering young people in K through 8th grades an opportunity to learn the fundamentals of football, the value of teamwork and to have fun doing it. The program has been designed, with parents' help, to contribute to the development of the young person's:

Sense of Achievement
Leadership Skills
Positive Self-Image
Social Skills
Sense of Teamwork
Appreciation For What The Body Can Do

Who can play for MGYFA?

Any youth in Maple Grove (boy or girl) and the surrounding area in K - 8th grades during the spring football season is welcome to play. (* removing 8th grade boys for Spring starting 2026*)

Fall season we run the program for 1st-3rd grades.

Fall season girls division 1st-8th grades.

Can we request for our player to be on the same team as a friend or to have a specific coach or coaches?

Buddy Requests: MGYFA will not be able to honor friend requests.

Coaching partnerships requests will need to be agreed upon with Flag Director.

Team Formation: Teams are formed based on age, grade, and school to ensure fairness. Players will be randomly assigned to maintain competitive balance. We aim to mix kids from different schools, so there will be no teams composed solely of children from one school. One of MGYFA’s goals is to help kids form connections with future teammates, and mixing schools is a great way to foster new friendships. Remember THIS IS FUN!

What are the requirements to be a coach?

To Coach in flag football for MGYFA the following requirements must be met.

Completed Safe Child Safety Training with trusted coaches within the last 3 years
Complete Concussion Training with trusted coaches within the last 3 years
Complete a background check before the start of the season

Ensure you use a previous login for Trusted Coaches to ensure credit for training completed for other youth organizations or previous MGYFA seasons.

Coaches Corner

What time will practice/games be on Sundays in the Spring?

We have access to the fields in the afternoon and evening during the spring season and will try to schedule flag football from 2pm-7pm.

Who should I contact if I have questions?

The contact for flag football is Briana Koch at FlagFootball@mgyfa.com

MGYFA general email: info@mgyfa.com.

2026 Spring Boys Flag Football

SPRING REGISTRATION OPENS:

Monday January 19th, 2026

SPRING REGISTRATION CLOSES:

Monday March 2, 2026

WHO CAN SIGN UP?

All kids in grades K-7 welcome to join us!

*DUE TO LACK OF SIGN UPS YEAR OVER YEAR WE WILL NO LONGER OFFER FLAG FOR 8TH GRADE BOYS.

*6TH AND 7TH WILL BE COMBINED*

SEASON DATES:

Sunday April 12 - Sunday May 17

TIMES:

Sunday afternoon/evenings. Times will be communicated when teams are shared.

LOCATIONS:

We anticipate playing at a mix of both Fernbrook and Gleason fields, but final locations will be determined at a later date and are subject to change.

COST: $150.00

Payment Note: AMEX is not accepted.

2026Spring Girls Flag Football

GIRLS SPRING REGISTRATION OPENS:

Monday January 19th

GIRLS SPRING REGISTRATION CLOSES: