About
Southern Minnesota Youth Football League offers youth tackle football that includes league championships and a jamboree. The program organizes games played by 4th, 5th, and 6th grade levels and provides a framework that allows teams from various participating communities to play each other under a uniform set of playing rules. It develops and maintains game schedules for each grade division among the participating communities and provides information to community program leaders and coaches.
• Ages: 9–12 years old
The Southern Minnesota Youth Football League is a non-profit organization formed to promote, organize, and coordinate the activities of its youth football member communities. Its core mission states that it provides a dynamic and safe environment where youth tackle football athletes can develop their skills, embrace healthy competition, and experience the joy of football, and that all member communities are guided by the principles of sportsmanship, respect, and dignity for all. The league also provides a mechanism and authority for receiving, investigating, and resolving complaints and fosters an environment where respect to one's self, teammates, opponents, officials, and coaches are demanded.
The league was established in 2002, with an inaugural season that included Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP), St. Clair, Le Center, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, Alden-Conger, and Glenville-Emmons as the first competing programs. The Southern Minnesota Youth Football League grew to 18 programs in 2009 and currently has 15 participating programs, many of which are original founding teams. League championships were held at the HHH Metrodome in Minneapolis from 2002 to 2008 and at Rochester Community and Technical College for 6th graders from 2009 to 2014. The current league championships and jamboree have been and continue to be hosted by Waseca at Waseca High School, and the Waseca Jamboree has expanded to a full Saturday of games played by 4th, 5th, and 6th grade levels.
In recent years, the Southern Minnesota Youth Football League has formed an expansive board committee representing all league participants, including an elected President and Treasurer. Current leadership includes Bob Jeske as President (Waseca), John Stemper as Vice President (Byron), and Gary Michael as Treasurer (W.E.M.). The first Commissioner, Steve Graphos from JWP, served from 2002 to 2008, and the second Commissioner, Jeff Boran from WEM, served from 2009 to 2014. Other leaders of the league have been Bryan Balma from Montgomery and Ed Hoehn from Waseca. The league notes that if a community is interested in joining, board members who have built youth football programs from the ground up are available to support interested communities.
Last updated February 23, 2026.
• Ages: 9–12 years old
The Southern Minnesota Youth Football League is a non-profit organization formed to promote, organize, and coordinate the activities of its youth football member communities. Its core mission states that it provides a dynamic and safe environment where youth tackle football athletes can develop their skills, embrace healthy competition, and experience the joy of football, and that all member communities are guided by the principles of sportsmanship, respect, and dignity for all. The league also provides a mechanism and authority for receiving, investigating, and resolving complaints and fosters an environment where respect to one's self, teammates, opponents, officials, and coaches are demanded.
The league was established in 2002, with an inaugural season that included Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP), St. Clair, Le Center, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown, Alden-Conger, and Glenville-Emmons as the first competing programs. The Southern Minnesota Youth Football League grew to 18 programs in 2009 and currently has 15 participating programs, many of which are original founding teams. League championships were held at the HHH Metrodome in Minneapolis from 2002 to 2008 and at Rochester Community and Technical College for 6th graders from 2009 to 2014. The current league championships and jamboree have been and continue to be hosted by Waseca at Waseca High School, and the Waseca Jamboree has expanded to a full Saturday of games played by 4th, 5th, and 6th grade levels.
In recent years, the Southern Minnesota Youth Football League has formed an expansive board committee representing all league participants, including an elected President and Treasurer. Current leadership includes Bob Jeske as President (Waseca), John Stemper as Vice President (Byron), and Gary Michael as Treasurer (W.E.M.). The first Commissioner, Steve Graphos from JWP, served from 2002 to 2008, and the second Commissioner, Jeff Boran from WEM, served from 2009 to 2014. Other leaders of the league have been Bryan Balma from Montgomery and Ed Hoehn from Waseca. The league notes that if a community is interested in joining, board members who have built youth football programs from the ground up are available to support interested communities.
Last updated February 23, 2026.
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