2010 Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions Houston Select Football League A: The Houston Select Football League (HSFL) is a competitive league that plays football in the spring. The league is an AAU member club that facilitates competition between AAU clubs in the greater Houston area. The goal of the HSFL is to provide an experience that prepares middle school athletes for high school football.
Q: What ages play in the HSFL? A: The HSFL serves middle school football players in two divisions. The Junior Varsity division consists of 7th grade athletes and the Varsity division will be made up of 8th grade athletes.
Q : Who can bring a team to the HSFL? A: Any coach approved by the board of the HSFL may bring a team to compete.
Q : How do I put together a team to compete in the HSFL? A: Teams are formed in several ways. Frequently, teams will consist of players who played together in a fall league that would like to continue honing their football skills in the spring. Some teams are "all-star" type teams that are formed from a fall league. In other cases, teams are formed by coaches who recruit players from a particular area to form a select team. Most teams will have a tryout well before the season starts to help select their players.
Q: When is the season going to be? A: The 2010 season will begin the last weekend in Feb and the championship game will be 22nd of May. The actual dates will be determined based on stadium availability.
Q: Is there a minimum or maximum team size? A: Minimum team size is 18 players on the roster. There is no limit to the number of players a team may carry on their roster.
Q: Are there any weight limits or minimum play rules? A: There are no weight limits or minimum play rules. The HSFL will conduct its activities virtually the same as Texas High School games. It is between each coaching staff and their players as to how much playing time each player receives. Q: What are the league registration fees and what do they cover? A: Each TEAM must pay to the HSFL a fee of $500 for the season. Each PLAYER must pay $125 to the league for the season. Each COACH must pay $30 to the league for the season. These fee will cover the expenses the league incurs for games and organizational costs. These costs include stadium rental, officiating crews, security personnel and medical trainers. Additionally, the league will provide medals or trophies to the winners and runners up of the league. This year the league will ALSO pay all AAU registration fees for teams, players and coaches. This membership also provides insurance for all participants.
Q: What other expenses can a team expect to incur? A: In addition to the league fee, each team is responsible for its uniforms, equipment and other operational expenses.
Q: How much do most teams charge their players? A: The fees that teams charge their players cover a broad spectrum. For teams where the organization provides all of the equipment to their players, fees are typically in the range of $300 - $500. Teams that expect their players to bring their own equipment fees typically charge in the range of $150 - $300. It is up to each club to determine what is appropriate for club fees. Naturally, all clubs are encouraged to use fundraising methods in order to minimize the cost to the players.
Q: Do we have to be a member of AAU and why? A: The HSFL is a member club of AAU and we register all participants in HSFL sponsored events as a member of AAU. The membership to AAU provides insurance coverage for the participant and this policy protects the league and its participants. This membership is included in the league registration fee!
Q: What other benefits come with AAU membership? A: AAU membership lasts for an entire year and applies to any other AAU sporting events that the member participates in, such as basketball, track etc.
A: In 2009 the top three teams in the HSFL played the top three teams from the Texas School of Football, based in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. We played State Championship Weekend at Baylor University in Floyd Casey Stadium. It was a fantastic weekend. In 2010 the top three teams from each division of the HSFL will again play the three top teams from the Texas School of Football. We will be back at Baylor University again this year.
Q: Where are the HSFL games going to be held? A: HSFL games will be played at various locations around the city. We are very pleased to announce that several schools have offered their stadiums to the league for our games. We anticipate that games will typically be centrally located, to be fair to teams that are coming in from outlying areas. Final locations for the games will be determined based on the number of teams in the league and stadium availability. It is our goal to provide multiple venues to expose these athletes to some of the finest playing facilities in the region.
Q: Where will my team practice? A: It is up to each individual club to secure their own practice facility. Most teams will typically practice at middle/high schools in their area.
Q: When will player registration be and what will the players have to provide? A: Player registration will be in February at a time and location to be determined. ALL players must be at registration in person and provide an ORIGINAL AND A COPY of their birth certificate and an ORIGINAL AND A COPY of their most recent report card from school. All forms required by the HSFL must also be completed and returned to the league at registration. The players will be interviewed and photographed by HSFL personnel.
Q: Can we add players to our team at any time? A: A team can add players to their team up until registration closes. Registration will close prior to the first game. After that date, NO PLAYERS may be added to the team.
Q: Are there any geographic restrictions as to where we get our players? A: No, a player can play for any team they wish regardless of the location of that team.
Q: I understand that the HSFL is a grade based league, but are there any age restrictions? A: Absolutely. While we are a grade based league, a player must be eligible to play for their school in the grade in which they are enrolled. UIL rules are used to determine age eligibility. As an example, a player who wants to play as a 7th grader in the spring of 2010 may NOT have turned 14 years old ON or BEFORE September 1, 2009. A full list of the age restrictions may be obtained via the links page on the HSFL website.
A: Yes. A player may play up if it is viewed as appropriate by the coach and parents of the player.
Q: Is participation in the HSFL going to jeopardize a player's eligibility in his school? A: NO! Off-season participation in football is completely allowed by UIL in the state of Texas. Just like athletes are able to participate in other sports (basketball, baseball, etc) outside of their school, they are allowed to do so in football as well. The same rules apply to football as they do to the other sports. A full description of the UIL regulations may be accessed from the downloads page of the HSFL website.
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2011 Player Tryout Form
2010 Team List with Location
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