Youth Football: Designated Ballcarrier Rule?

A player 80 pounds to under 95 will receive a BLUE stripe and must play center, guard, tackle or end on Offense. He is not allowed to receive a pass or advance the ball on offense. On defense, the play may play linebacker or a lineman position (defensive end, defensive tackle or noseguard). He may intercept a pass or recover a fumble and may advance the ball. All players in this group will have numbers in the 50s or 60s.

Players 95 pounds or over will receive a red stripe and must play interior down lineman (Offense: center, guard or tackle. Defense: noseguard or defensive tackle). Under no circumstances is a red striper allowed to advance the ball. All red stripers will have the jersey number in the 70s series.

What position does your son play now vs. what does he want to play?

I played in a league that had this rule.  I was a 'black stripe' player, and we couldn't do anything with the ball, except intercept a pass, or recover a fumble (or knock a pass down).  We couldn't even punt or kickoff.

Worked out fine for me, as I went on to play O-line in college.

Things change...  My son started playing football in 4th grade and was always a black striper...until 8th grade ball after he grew 5 inches and lost 5 pound in a year.  He is now a senior and a varsity wide receiver at 6'2" and 180 lbs.

Enjoy the time...it goes all too fast!

O-line is where real men play anyhow.

Is he quick? If you think he might play DE then he can get good practice but if he really wants to be on offence then maybe get him in a flag football league. I was a RB, WR, and safety but at 11 I was over the weight limit for offence so I joined a flag football team and really improved my running and on field awareness. So it really comes down to what you want him to learn and what he will have fun doing.

thats light.  The league my son played in was over 95 pounds you couldn't advanced the ball, over 115 you couldn't play (at that age).  At first I kind of questioned it untill I saw the kids who where that big. 

If you could give a 100 lb 3rd grader the ball and let him run, most teams couldn't tackel him without giving up yards.  He wouldn't even have to be that good.  Thats not teaching anything.

So while I agree with the rule, 75 pounds is to light.

I know everyone has a story about this or that beast of a kid, but most 100lb 3rd graders won't be athletic enough to run the ball effectively.

so many rb's and wr's don't know how to block...this will be a great learning experience for your boy.  If he maintains his speed, quickness, and power, all positions will be available to him when he gets older.  

(this coming from a kid who was so skinny he would have been split in 2 if he ever walked onto a football field as a kid/teen!)    I was damn good as a neighborhood nerf football 2-hand touch player though!

maybe we just grow them big down here.  But at 95 pounds, our ball carriers where having to strip down and not eat to make weight.  100lb 3rd grader thats athelic is not uncommon.  Thats why I can't believe other leagues have a 75 pound limit. 

We have in our youth club a rule where if the kid is at or above X lbs (sorry, can't convert to Metric with an unknown value ), they play the line.  This now changed where the QB was one of our best players, but now has to play line.  I have a feeling that isn't sitting well with the parents and a few other persons.

I sometimes have trouble understanding that rule, too, since my kid is one of the skinniest and is a running back, and he gets clobbered by the bigger kids.  It doesn't sit well with me knowing that he'll be on the ground recovering slowly or getting injured more easily.  I'm waiting for the next few weeks to see if I'll be running him to urgent care with a busted rib, arm, leg, etc.

So what we need to teach kids is that if they don't get to touch the ball they shouldn't play.  I think this is very selfish.  These are great life lessons to learn.

Many kids will change positions throughout their life as they grow, hit puberty and their bodies change.

These kind or rules exist because, frankly, because many coaches (parents) would abuse it otherwise.