My son is 8 and has played 2 years of flag football. His core group of boys is currently being scouted by a pop warner football team and Im just torn between continuing the flag or go to with full pads. I know some towns dont have a choice but we continue flag football through 6th or 7th grade. If you ask my son what he would like to do its full pads only because he likes the gear and jersey. If you have/had kids in football do you wish you would have waited for pads or do you have no complaints.
I think the risk of injury is greater in tackle. A kids head weighs roughly the same amount as an adult yet their neck and spine are weaker, making head injuries more serious. I believe that there is a reccomendations that a kid be 12 or so before playing tackle. I have a 10 y/o son who is nearly 11 5' 1" and 118 pounds. He will play flag this season as well, and next as well.
I told my son he can play flag football, but not tackle. I know he only wants to play for the gear as well. So, we found some great costume-grade Franklin football uniforms at Amazon and he wears it when we go out to play ball. He loves it and it will tide him over for a while until he starts begging me again to play tackle. I like his brain too much to let him. He's already in hockey, ugh.
My son started the fall of 4th grade. We'd love to have had him remain in flag another 3 years but it's not available around here. Guess they like to weed out the weak ones early :( (Yah, we didn't last very long)
My son was 5 & while we had a good experience with good coaches & a "safe" program, I regret that decision, now. Knowing what I know now, I never would've started him that early, if at all.
My youngest boy has been *begging* to play PopWarner for the past 2 years and I have put him off...I feel this year is probably going to be the year I let him play. Our local PopWarner plays in our local park that is less than 2 blocks from our house so we see them practice and play all the time! My son is 7y/o FYI!
My son started when he was 5. He loved it. We had great coaches and a good club to play for.
