When the West Allegheny Youth Association tried getting 5-year-olds to play organized football last season, players struggled to get back on their feet after falling down in helmets, heavy pads and other gear. In Mt. Lebanon, kindergarten players often find their shoulder pads rise up too high for their helmets to fit right. And one-size-fits-all football pants must be trimmed down for shorter legs. No matter. In Western Pennsylvania, the popularity of football for even the youngest grade school players is on the rise. Many parents have started showering the kind of attention and treats on youth players that used to be reserved for star high school athletes. "It is amazing the way these kids play the game," said Joe DeMarco, president of the Greater 19 Youth Football League. "Are they hitting really hard• No, but it's a chance for them to learn techniques." Leagues across the region offer kids from ages 5 to 13 the chance to suit up for tackle football -- and earn many of the accolades that come along with big-time sports, albeit on a smaller scale. Midget teams often play a few games each season in high school stadiums, and they almost always have their own cheerleaders. An upcoming day of games in Moon, for children from kindergarten to eighth grade, ends with an evening dance at a nearby Elks Lodge. Montour players can earn letterman jackets by playing at least five years. Many other leagues award young athletes trophies, team banquets and sweatshirts or other gear. The leagues tend to focus on teaching fundamentals of the game, as feeder programs for the high school sport, but winning is also discussed as the desired just reward for those who taken the time to learn all those fundamentals. Players in the 15-team South Suburban Youth Football League will start out this week in a playoff system that ends with a Super Bowl championship game. Winners get trophies; losers get T-shirts. "We try not to emphasize winning that much, but it's still the ultimate goal and part of learning to play football," said George Klemmer, president of the Montour Little Spartans Football Association. "You're not just out there to make a couple of good tackles. You want to make a couple of good tackles and win the game." Youth football league officials from across the region said they noticed a strong spike in interest this year, largely due to the Steelers' February victory in Super Bowl XL. The Greater 19 league fields 1,900 kids on 94 teams in nine communities, stretching from the Seneca Valley Junior Football Association in Butler County to the Peters Township Junior Football Association in Washington County. North Allegheny alone has 225 players in its Tiger Pride Football Club, and increased its number of teams for kids who are ages 10 and 11 to six from four this year. The number of players on two teams for players ages 6 and 7 increased to 34 from 24 last year. Mt. Lebanon's Termites League for students from kindergarten to second grade started four years ago with 14 players. It now has 62 athletes on five teams. They're scheduled to play Saturday at Mt. Lebanon High School stadium. "We let the parents come on the field, and we cut it into a third," said president Chip Dalesandro. "We scale everything down so (the players) are successful." With 42 players -- and 54 cheerleaders -- in its Under-8 League, West Allegheny added "junior varsity" games during the week for players who do not get much action in the Saturday morning games. But that means, with practices, some players have football five days a week. "They dress for varsity with the chance to play," said Todd Scanlon, president of the West Allegheny Youth Association, "but if they don't, they play their own game." Youth football requires more than an investment of time: Leagues charge about $100 to $150 per player, or cheerleader, to cover costs of outfitting teams and putting on games. Montour spent $10,000 updating equipment this year and pays $2,500 a year for insurance, Klemmer said. Three referees for a Saturday with five games cost $800, while a paramedic and ambulance for the day runs about $300. Mt. Lebanon charges $75 per player, but then parents must buy their kids' equipment, which can cost about $200 for a helmet and pads, Dalesandro said. Most other leagues provide all the equipment except for cleated shoes. While the smallest athletes might seem the most fragile, their lack of speed and weight tends to keep them from getting seriously injured, coaches said. "There's not the injuries you would think or parents would fear just because the kids don't move that fast," said Bob Cameron, vice president of the North Allegheny Tiger Pride Football Club. "If you start a kid playing tackle football, what better age to start him because they're not old enough to hit each other hard," said DeMarco, of Upper St. Clair. Most leagues group players by age or grade, but cut them off at certain weights, typically 85 to 90 pounds for the youngest group. For the youngest athletes, one of the early keys also has to be lowering the expectations of what they can accomplish, said Mark Trella, who coaches a Twerp League team for 5- to 7-year-olds in the Moon-Crescent Athletic Association. It's a successful season, he said, if the kids learn to line up appropriately and understand some basic plays by the end of the year. Parents can't count on a kindergartner to make a lot of tackles and touchdowns against second graders, he said. But they shouldn't underestimate any of the young players' abilities to pick up the game either. "It is a lot for a 5-year-old to grasp," Trella said. "But these kids are capable of a lot more than people give them credit for a lot of times."

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