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The Bears program is designed for football players of all ages and skill levels, regardless of playing experience.

Our program is directed toward the players. Winning is not an end in itself. Emphasis is placed on providing a great experience for the players and in developing character in each and every one of them. The Bears' approach to football is one of skill, development, and speed. Brute tactics have no place in the Bears' system.

Over the years this philosophy has paid dividends. The Bears have produced many of the finest players in area high schools and colleges, including some who have gone on to play on Pro teams.

This year's fee is $250 for tackle. The registration fee goes to pay for our league fees, referees, park district fees, insurance, equipment, etc.

Your player will be issued all standard football equipment which has been personally inspected by our equipment manager. You will need to provide cleats (baseball and soccer cleats work well also), an athletic supporter with a cup (buy this in May or June as they are harder to find the closer we get to the football season) and a girdle. The equipment the Bears provide include: a certified and inspected helmet, mouthpiece, shoulder pads, rib guards, girdle pads (hip and tailbone), practice & game pants, thigh and knee pads, practice jersey, and game jersey with your player's last name on the back. You return everything at the end of the season except the practice and game jersey. They are your player's to keep.

It is highly advisable to send your player to practice with a water bottle. Even when the weather turns cold, the players will still require fluids during practice. On game days, the coaches will provide the water or some other drink for the players.

The season should not interfere with baseball unless your player joins an all star and/or travelling team that would be playing in August which is when football practice starts. All of our coaches do work to accommodate baseball schedules if there are players in this type of situation. Practice this year will start at the end of July. Actual date TBA. During the month of August, up to the Friday of Labor Day weekend, teams may, and usually do, practice Monday through Friday from 6-8 PM. Practices are held at Stratford Jr. High in Bloomingdale. While this may seem like a lot of work, and it actually is, there is a lot of work to be accomplished to prepare a team to play football.

Practices after Labor Day are cut back to 3 days a week, usually Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. It's up to each individual coach to set his practice schedule. They may cut back on practices but they can not exceed the maximums that are set.

After 2-3 weeks of practice, teams will start playing in pre-season bowl games. This helps immensely to prepare for the regular season which starts on Labor Day weekend. Bowl games can be at any time on either a Saturday or Sunday. The Bears will usually play in at least 1 other towns' bowls plus our own Bloomingdale Bowl.

The Gold teams typically play on Sunday and the Silver teams play on Saturday. The season is 8 weeks long. If a team qualifies for the playoffs they could actually play an additional 3 weeks if they keep winning. The 3rd week is Championship Weekend which will be held at Benedictine University.

We're also always looking for head coaches and assistant coaches so would you please consider offering your time as a coach? We're sure you will find it very rewarding. Don't worry about a lack of experience. Every coach starts with a lack of experience. One of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences our coaches have had are from coaching football.

Not ready to commit to coaching yet? There are other staff positions that also need to be filled on each team. These include, but are not limited to: Team Manager, Team Parent, photographer, videographer, announcer, stat crew, chain gang, etc.

Expect a call in late June or early July from the Gold Division Head Coach or Team Manager at your player’s level. The Head Coach will notify you of the equipment handout date and the first day of practice. Also, watch our web site for updates, we post new information as soon as it is available.