Basics:  First you need to know that LUYAA stands for the Linganore Urbana Youth Athletic Association.  What that means is that the organization is a combined effort of two communities working together for a better whole.  The two parts are both in central Frederick County and consist of the Linganore High School District and surrounding areas and the Urbana High School District and the surrounding areas.  Linganore's team logo is a Lance.  An American Indian Lance to be specific.  Hence they go by "Linganore Lancers".  Urbana's mascot is a Hawk so we have the Urbana Hawks.  The colors are as follows:  Linganore is Scarlet Red and Black while the Hawks are Royal Blue and White.  The programs participate in multiple leagues and have lots of player placement options, levels of play, and match making ability.  They opt to participate in the MMYFCL and the I-70League.
 

Rules and Stuff You Need to Know:

The fact is between the two football leagues I can't imagine what a parent could want that was not offered in some way shape or form between both football programs.  O.K. the MMYFCL has 3 seperate divisions and levels of play.  Advanced, Intermediate and Instructional/Developmental.  All 3 offer a level for each age level 13U, 12U, 11U, 10U, 9U, 8U and Pitt Bulls made up of 5-6 yr olds.  all levels have full contact, full playing fields and referees w/ the exception of the Pitt Bulls.  Scores are kept and each team has an opportunity to play for a superbowl at 9U and up. The most competitive level culminates it's year by playing in the Ravens Stadium for the MD Youth Football Championship.  There is a must play rule for all levels...this is b/c the league is very involved w/ the NFL and b/c of the many sponsorships provided by the NFL for fields and grant money they follow some basic NFL rules for youth play.  One rule is that all kids must play!   The farther you move away from competitive ball in the  MMYFCL the more playing time your child is guaranteed to get.   In the Mid Maryland Youth Football and Cheer  League there are strict weight limits at each level to try and evenly match kids up w/ other kids their own size range.  This may be for safety but I'm not sure any stats are available along those lines to support it but many feel common sense dictates weight limits should be applied.  On the I-70 side of things the league was formed as an instructional all kids play kinda league originally and while it still maintains that character from a playing time rule standpoint I can assure you the games are quite competitive.  The league also enjoys a unique weight restricted rule that allows bigger boys to play with kids their own age but they are restricted to playing on the line between the tackles.  The league has been around for a long time now and so their is every reason to believe that letting the bigger kids play has not resulted in any safety issues.  I am not aware of any injury directly related to size differential.  What makes this league unique is that coaches must play every kid at least half of the game on offense and half on defense at a minimum for every level of play except for 13U where players enjoy the benefits of being guaranteed 1 full quarter of play on each side of the ball.

Highlights:

Many of the fields LUYAA football participants play on are new artificial surface fields due in large part to  the many  Howard County participants who enjoy great facilities.  Similar to the new fields LUYAA will be using in the future at the 2 new high schools being built in the Mt. Airy area at Oakdale and Linganore.

The league is extremely well organized and has full time paid staff positions at LUYAA and MMYFCL to keep things running smoothly.  Those folks don't get paid enough but they do a heck of a job.  Coaches- I don't know for sure an exact count but I must say about 100 dedicated coaches volunteer their best efforts to ensure your kids get the most out of LUYAA football.  It's a family affair and a close knit group of people despite the healthy rivalry between the two sides. 

Quality of play-  well all I can say is go to some games and witness yourself the difference.  LUYAA teams demonstrate sportsmanship, fair play, discipline and have fun all the while.  Sure w/ 100 coaches is one the best and one the worst? Of course... but all coaches go through a background check and careful evaluation before being allowed to coach.  Most head coaches have at least 5 years of experience at youth football.  That's hard to find in an organization so large.  Many have been around forever and don't even have kids in the program they just enjoy coaching.

Equipment- Full uniforms are provided including helmets and game jerseys and all necessary pads except for mouthpiece and cup.

Fundraising- this group knows how to get it done!  A budget of nearly 300K per year stands to prove it.

High School Feeders:  Both the Linganore Lancers and the Urbana Hawks work closely with their respective High School programs to ensure the youth are being taught the principles needed at a higher level of play and this gives everyone the best shot at success later in upper levels.  Coaches attend clinics at the High Schools, Football Camps at the high schools and Conditioning Camps at the High Schools.  Players in LUYAA can always be seen at a High School ball game supporting their future programs and visa versa.  Coaches work w/ each other to make sure the youth football teams are being taught what the high schools want them to learn.

Look... I could go on and on but you get the idea....  There is just a big difference between community oriented organizations and those that recruit and draw players from all over the place.  A greater sense of pride and belonging to something you can look forward to later in life is very rewarding, motivating, and satisfying.  At the end of the day these folks get it done and have fun doing it.