NEW IN TACKLE FOOTBALL FOR 2025
Weight limit restrictions have been lifted for all ages this upcoming Fall 2025 season.Register here.
PROVIDING A WHOLESOME, ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING FOOTBALL
TACKLE, FLEX FLAG & GIRLS FLAG
5 ON 5 FLAG FOR GIRLS 8 TO 14 YEARS
OPTIMIST GIRLS FLAG FOOTBALL
AN EXCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT DRIVEN ELEVATED FLAG PROGRAM
OPTIMIST FLEX FLAG FOOTBALL
A FAMILY TRADITION BORN IN BOISE'S NORTH END IN 1949
CHEERLEADING PROGRAMS
Optimist Youth Football and Cheer Programs
We are a non-profit, volunteer-driven youth football organization in Idaho's Treasure Valley, with programs in Boise, (Includes Boise, Meridian, Eagle & Star), Kuna, Nampa/Caldwell, Emmett, Homedale, Marsing, Middleton, Horseshoe Bend and Mountain Home. Registration for the Boise club (Boise, Eagle, Meridian, and Star) will begin on Monday, April 7th. A new registration program will be implemented for the Boise club. Please click on the registration tab in the upper right hand corner of this page. Information for all communities and their registration dates, including locations, and times for parents to complete their online registration by meeting with their league directors and presenting their birth certificate, can be found by clicking on the location tab above.
NEW IN 2025: Age Determination and Removal of Player Weight Restrictions
In assessing guidelines and rules regarding player weight, Optimist Youth Football relied on three separate national studies, which concluded age, not weight, is the leading injury risk factor. Accurate age groupings are therefore the most important player safety consideration, while weight classifications do not offer increased safety.
Tackle Football
Flex Flag Football
Girls Flag Football
Cheerleading
For a team experience that lasts a lifetime, get your family involved in Optimist Football
Teams are formed right in your neighborhood, and led by well-trained, caring coaches.
For decades, teams and families fill the Optimist fields on Saturdays in the fall. Camaraderie and game-day excitement fuel the atmosphere. The games and team practices build athletic skills—and also provide life lessons, friendships, and lasting memories.
Today’s norms and guidelines are followed for safe, age-appropriate play.
Coaches you can count on
The coaches of Optimist Football care as much about your child and his youth sports experience as you do.
We craft practices and games so your child can:
• Watch their skills grow with each practice
• Be encouraged for their effort and progress
• Develop knowledge of the game and a love for competing
• Be in a setting that follows the latest guidelines for safety, with strict adherence and mandatory training and certification for coaches
• Enjoy the camaraderie of team mates
• Your child joins a team that is set up according to neighborhood. Everyone participates – no tryouts. Age and weight also determine team placement.
• Your child is on a path where the team stays, develops, and grows together, with a well-trained coach who is also committed to that success.
• This approach creates continuity in development, maximizes relationship building with team mates and coaches – along with the life lessons and lasting memories.
