Football Junior High Information

Rules and Regulations

• NCAA Football and Rules Information 
• Heat Stress and Athletic Participation
• Recommendations for Hydration
• Charitable Cause Guidelines
• Targeting Information and Video

Number of Games

No team or student shall compete in more than nine (but recommend eight) football games. A scrimmage counts as one of the allowable games.

Number of Games Per Week

One game or scrimmage may be played per calendar week. There shall be a minimum of five days between contests.

Season for Workouts and Games

Practice shall not begin prior to the first day of school. Football equipment may be checked out to the players on any one day during the week preceding the first day of school. The first five days of practice shall consist of the following acclimatization period. The first two days of practice shall be conducted without any contact equipment except helmets. On the third and fourth days of practice, helmets, shoulder pads and padded girdles (shells) may be worn, but no player to player contact is allowed. On day five of the acclimatization period, helmets, shoulder pads and padded girdles (shells) may be worn, and player to player contact is permitted. During the five-day acclimatization period, no full contact activities shall be permitted. All student athletes who arrive after the first day of practice are required to undergo a five-day acclimatization period. No interschool scrimmages or games shall be allowed until after a period of at least seven days of contact football.

Schools shall have 80 consecutive calendar days to practice outside the school day and to complete scrimmages and games. Schools must start their 80 days no later than the date set forth by the UIL calendar for junior high football start deadline.

For schools choosing not to start their 80 days on the first day of school, students may be in an athletic period, but cannot participate in any football activities outside the school day until the first day of the 80 consecutive calendar days.

During the season, football players are not allowed to participate in more than ninety (90) minutes of full contact practice per week.  See the Junior High Coaches Manual for explanations of full contact.

Off-Season Workouts. Accelerated physical education activities, calisthenics, individual football skills, strength training or conditioning exercises may be conducted during the school term within the school day, (provided such activities do not exceed one regular class period not to exceed 60 minutes per day (or 300 minutes per week on a block schedule). Practice may include 11-on-11 drills without contact equipment or activities. Activities before or after school or during the lunch period are specifically prohibited. Allowed equipment is limited to a football, shoes with cleats, passing and punting machines and physical education attire. Air or padded blocking dummies or devices, and other similar devices are prohibited. See Section 1206 (d).

Preseason or Summer Practice for Junior High or Elementary School Students

Eighth Grade and Below Pre-Season Practice Prohibited. Schools shall not hold any preseason football practice in junior high school (eighth grade and below) or elementary school, individual or team, prior to the opening day of school.

Eighth Grade and Below Spring Training Prohibited. Schools shall not conduct any spring training either in elementary school or junior high school (eighth grade and below) the preceding spring.

Exception for Ninth Graders Not on High School Campus. Students in the ninth grade may participate in spring training in Conference AAAAA and AAAA schools provided that such participation is on a site and at the same time as the high school squad practices and that said high school is the one which the ninth grade students will attend the following fall.

Violations

Penalty for violations shall be assessed by the appropriate executive committee.

Tied Games

The NCAA tiebreaker system shall not be used by junior high school teams.