Football University Team Indiana
Parent FAQ
Welcome to the world of travel football! We are excited to have your child be a part of our team. In order to ensure a smooth experience for everyone involved, please take note of the following important information:
1. Travel and Registration Fees:
As a parent, it is your responsibility to cover all travel and registration fees associated with your child's participation in travel football. These fees typically include expenses such as transportation, accommodation, meals, tournament entry fees, and team uniforms. Please make sure to budget accordingly to fulfill these financial obligations. To make FBU Team Indiana more accessible to all families, we have partnered with PayPal to offer their payment plan options. Select PayPal as your payment option during check out. Then select your payment preference and follow the PaylPal instructions. There is a nominal fee to offer this capability that will be spread out over your payment plan.
2. Fundraising Opportunities:
We understand that the costs associated with travel football can be substantial. To help alleviate some of the financial burden, fundraising activities will be made available to parents and players. Participating in fundraising events is optional but highly encouraged, as it can significantly offset costs for individual families and contribute to the overall success of our team. More details about fundraising initiatives will be shared with you by our fundraising coordinator.
3. Need Assistance? Contact Us:
We understand that financial situations may vary for each family. If you find yourself in need of assistance to cover the travel and registration fees, please reach out to us. We will be able to provide guidance, explore potential solutions, and discuss available options to support your child's participation. We strongly believe that every child should have the opportunity to participate in travel football, and we are here to assist you.
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We encourage open communication, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's involvement in travel football. We are here to provide support and ensure a positive experience for everyone involved.
Thank you for your commitment and support as we embark on an exciting journey with our travel football team!
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FBU Team Indiana age groups and divisions:
Tournament Information
Athletes can be associated with any youth football organization – whether private, regional or national (Pop Warner, AYF, AAU, UYFL, etc.). There are no weight restrictions.
The Football University National Championship Governors have set recruiting boundaries and team composition rules so as to regulate player selections. These regulations can be found here.
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Eligible football players must be in either grade 6, 7, or 8 during the fall of the school year during the current duration of the National Championship tournament in question. To verify, a signed report card (or standard equivalent) must be provided during team registration prior to round one.
6th-graders can not turn 13 years-old before August 1 of the current tournament year.
7th-graders can not turn 14 years-old before August 1 of the current tournament year.
8th-graders can not turn 15 years-old before August 1 of the current tournament year.
The FBU National Championship tournament and its teams and brackets are age and grade-based. Tournament player qualification rules are set and establish the equality of play for all athletes.
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Safety of the athletes that participate in our tournament is paramount above and beyond all else: the age and grade qualifications ensure a level playing field and is meant to reduce the risk of injury.
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Unfortunately, these age and grade regulations will exclude a small number of players. That said, improving the safety and age equality of the National Championship tournament can not be overlooked and executing an excellent event for all involved is our main priority.
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Additional Information:
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What is FBU? In 2000, New Jersey (U.S.) based, All American Games LLC. held the first inaugural U.S. Army All-American Bowl - an All-Star football game featuring the most talented High School graduates in the country, in front of a live national audience. Each year, the U.S. Army All-American Bowl showcases the most highly-recruited, elite-level college football recruits on planet earth. Reggie Bush, Adrian Peterson, Tim Tebow, Andrew Luck, Odell Beckham Jr., Ezekiel Elliot, and 400 other NFL draftees have played and shined as high school seniors in the All-American Bowl.
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All-American Games LLC. developed Football University (FBU) in order to bridge the developmental gap between football players in grades 5 through 8 (Middle School) and 9 through 12 (High School). FBU now conducts summer football camps all over the country, and since 2009, hosts the Freshman All-American Bowl, where the best high schoolers in grade 9 can showcase their skills against select elite talent from all 50 states. In 2011, the FBU National Championship Tournament was established to provide the best 5th through 8th grade players in the U.S. with a chance to compete for state teams at a national level. Indiana has fielded teams and participated in the FBU National Championships since its inception.
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You can read more about Football University and its many affiliated camps & events by visiting the official National FBU website at https://footballuniversity.org/ and at their tournament website: https://footballuniversity.org/other-events/fbu-national-championship/
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I know another player who played on 'Team Indiana.' Is this the same thing? Probably not. Any titles, team names, logos, branding, etc. that is legitimately associated with FBU Team Indiana will include the letters, "FBU." In general, players, coaches, and parents who have been involved with our organization in previous seasons will refer to the experience using, "FBU," as the descriptor, not just "Team Indiana." There are many different youth sports entities across a wide range of team sports and games that use the handle, "Team Indiana," but there is only one that competes in the FBU National Tournament – the largest 6th + 7th + 8th Grade Football Tournament in the country.
Is FBU Indiana made up of players in grades 6 through 8, all playing on the same team, competing for spots on one football team? No. There are three separate teams with three separate head coaches that compete in three separate tournaments for their individual grade levels. Many of our practices are combined for at least a portion, but the teams split into grade levels and install their own offense, defense, special teams, etc. We do not ask younger players to compete in full contact hitting drills or live scrimmages against older players. Your 5th grader will not be tackled by an 8th grader.
Where are the practices? Our practices are typically held at the Indianapolis area high school fields where the local administration has been generous enough to support our organization. A regulation football field with painted yard lines and lights might be the most difficult venue to secure in all of youth sports, and our plans will change from time to time due to field availability, but we have been very fortunate to have such great partnerships with several Indy-area high school athletic departments.
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Where are the games? The first round of games is held at the regional site as established by FBU National Tournament Officials. FBU Team Indiana competes in the FBU Midwest Regional, which was held in Indianapolis in 2018, where we hosted Team Kentucky, Team Minnesota, and Team Kansas City. The venue was Warren Central High School’s varsity stadium. In 2019, the Midwest Regional was held in Lexington, Kentucky and in 2023 we will be in Indianapolis, Indiana. The teams in our Regional Pool are the same as 2018, with the exception of Team Tennessee taking the place of Team Minnesota. If we win our Regional, the next round of games would be roughly a month later at FBU Nationals in Naples, Florida.
Wait, Lexington? Naples, Florida? How am I supposed to get there in the middle of basketball season and SCHOOL? Fundraising efforts have been underway all year, and the goal is to provide bus and hotel accommodations for the players who earn the trips. It will take a collective fundraising effort, but our 6th Grade Team that advanced to FBU Nationals in 2018 were essentially blessed with an all-expenses-paid trip to Florida. The charter buses and hotel rooms were all covered prior to the team leaving Indy, and the only expenses incurred by players’ families on the trip were meals and entertainment. Every player on the team had a signed letter in hand from their school principal, and the vast majority worked around basketball commitments as well. The kids themselves, who earned the trip to Florida and a chance to make Indiana youth football history, were quickly granted exceptions (and in most cases, congratulations) from their schools and athletics coaches in other sports. It was their parents asking for time off work that caused the largest headaches. Schedule this with your boss now. We are going back to Naples in December!
What town/high school program are the FBU coaches affiliated with? None in particular, and this is by design. The goal of FBU Team Indiana is to advance the sport of football in the state of Indiana, period. Most, if not all, of our coaches are permanent residents of Indiana, so of course they live in Indiana towns, and of course those towns have high school football programs, but our coaching staff is committed to teaching modern, elite-level football techniques that are applicable to any program, anywhere. Any parent's notion that a coach or assistant coach may favor players from their local area will evaporate the very moment you see our competition. We need the strongest players and the most committed coaches from every corner of our great state, and we need them working together as a cohesive unit, or else we stand no chance against national powers from Texas, Florida, Georgia, et al.
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Are the game rules different than I.E.F.A., Middle School, other youth tournaments? Simply put, this is 6th, 7th, and 8th grade football games played under high school football rules. There are no weight limits of any kind. Players are organized by their grade level, not by their age. Anything you see in a Friday night High School Football game generally applies the same way to the rules of FBU games.
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Doesn't that mean another team could have a huge, older player who has repeated a grade? And with no weight limits, they could put that big guy at running back? Yes. And he will be very difficult to tackle. That is why FBU Team Indiana has compiled a coaching staff with decades of combined I.H.S.A.A., NCAA, and NFL experience to prepare your son for the highest level of youth football competition in the country. If the player has the talent and the level of commitment to play with FBU Team Indiana, we are ready and willing to begin preparing him now. Remember, when he reaches the 10th grade, all these same game rules are a reality, PLUS he will be playing against opponents that are at least 2 or 3 years older. FBU provides an incredible head start.