Following are frequently asked questions about tackle football. For more information, please contact the VP of Football.
Players must be between 5th-8th grade of the current year to be eligible.
Panthers is a 100% volunteer ran program. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved. You can help at any of the following levels:
If you would like to get involved, please Contact Us.
Each team will be required to provide the following volunteers for each Home Game:
If your athlete’s team is the last game of the day, parent volunteers will be needed to help take down the field and put the equipment away.
The Panthers play regular season games against teams affiliated with the Bill George Football League. Some of the towns include Lombard, Carol Stream, Bartlett, Park Ridge, Oswego and Geneva; for additional information and directions, please visit our BGYFL page.
The 2026 season begins Monday, August 3rd. Teams will play 8 games in total, both played at home and an away field.
There is an additional 3 weeks of playoffs/Super Bowl game if the team advances.
Flag Football practices three times per week until the start of the Downers Grove District 58 school year. Once school starts, Flag Football will practice two days per week. You will be notified of practice days and locations by your head coach. Practice begins August 3, 2026. Location TBD.
Players should wear their helmets, a t-shirt, shorts, mouth guard, and cleats to practice. Please bring a large jug of water.
Panthers is a non-profit organization. In addition to providing the following football equipment (see chart below) registration fees cover league fees, uniforms, helmets, referees, park field usage costs including lights, insurance, athletic trainers, safety equipment and other field equipment. Each athlete will also receive $100 in raffle tickets, paid as part of their registration fee. Families keep all proceeds from raffle ticket sales.
The following equipment is required to play Flag Football:
Many teams choose to contribute money towards team events / activities that occur throughout the season such as yard signs for homecoming, pink socks for Breast Cancer Awareness month, etc. This will be communicated by either the Head Coach or Team Admin.
As part of your registration fee, you are provided with $100 of raffle tickets. Athletes are encouraged to sell these raffle tickets to offset the cost of football and cheer. Families keep the proceeds from the sale of raffle tickets reducing the overall cost for families. Completed raffle ticket stubs should be returned to your athletes coach by August 9th to be included in the drawing.
Uniforms: No refunds will be provided on uniforms for any reason after uniforms have been ordered.
Registration fee: Registration fees are eligible for a refund. Refunds requested in writing before May 29th are eligible for a full refund of the registration fee paid (less the cost of raffle tickets, uniforms, and net of any discounts), provided all equipment (if applicable) is returned within two weeks of the refund request.
Refunds requested in writing between May 30th and July 28th are eligible for a refund of up to 50% of the registration fee paid (less the cost of raffle tickets, uniforms, and net of any discounts), provided all equipment (if applicable) is returned within two weeks of the refund request. Only those athletes whose registrations had been paid in full at the time of the refund request are eligible for a 50% refund. Athletes whose registrations were not paid in full at the time of the refund request will receive a prorated refund.
No refunds will be provided after July 29th for any reason, including illness or injury.
There are no refunds for Panther pre-season camps for any reason (including injury or illness).
To request a refund, please send an email to our Treasurer at treasurer@
After the first week of practice, Flag Football players will be divided into equal teams by the head coaches using a “draft” format. Athletes do not get to choose which team they are on, or which head coach they play for.
