Thankfully, his drive to be part of a team and not let his teammates down led him to pull his grades up. The requirements were a godsend, but if they had been more strict my son would not have seen very much mat time.

Not only that, his self esteem and drive to be part of a team would have been shattered. Now that I have walked in the shoes of a parent with a child on a conference team, I understand the necessity and the delicate balance of eligibility requirements.

Pop Warner football seems to be getting it right. The almost 80-year-old organization has a "Little Scholars" program for their youth. Teams are required to collect report cards of their players and monitor them weekly. "It's the only league out there that does this," commented Joe Albanese, president of the new Algonquin Argonaut football team.

That is just one of the benefits to the Argonauts joining Pop Warner and bringing it to Algonquin.

"With other leagues that we have been a part of, there is a draft every year," said Albanese. "We had to start fresh each year after the draft. Our goal is to keep kids together so they are playing together up to high school age."

With the inception of the new league, Albanese has many players from the team his son played on last year. "I also have my entire coaching staff," he added.

Like many families in this area, Albanese's 11-year-old son, Nicholas, played on teams from other towns since he was a flag football player at the age of 5.

"Algonquin didn't have its own team. I wondered why that was," Albanese said. So he started looking into bringing a league out here.

"Pop Warner looked great. They have been around since 1929."

In fact, Pop Warner had more than 240,000 youth participants in 2004, according to the Web site (www.algonquinargonautsfootball.com). They also offer regional playoffs and their annual Super Bowl is always held in Disney World.

Ten-year-old Algonquin resident, Corey Baumbich will begin his first season with the Argonauts this summer. Corey played on teams in surrounding towns in the past, and his family is happy to have their own local team now.

Corey's mom, Karen Baumbich said she heard about the new team through word of mouth. She feels the cost is comparable to other local organizations.

Albanese said the registration fee is $300 to play, which includes jerseys with the players' names and numbers and equipment, including pads and helmets.

Right now there are about 75 kids registered for the mighty mite, junior pee wee, and pee wee teams. Players range in age from 7- to 11-year-olds, with weights between 45 to 120 pounds. The league is looking for a few more players to round out the teams.

If you are looking for registration information, call Joe Albanese at (847) 652-9987.