A Parent’s Guide to Development, Character, and Real Standards
Long Island Elite Football is the first and original “National Team” in the New York State. Former Penn State Linebacker and Pittsburgh Steeler Gerald Filardi, and Football Visionary Benjamin Carey created the program in 2013. The program boasts over 125 alumni playing college football and is the undisputed standard for skill and character development.
Travel football on Long Island has never been more confusing for families trying to make the right decision, especially when imposter copycat organizations try and emulate excellence. The embellished and false claims on their websites, their crude attempts to copy the established programs in the program, their missing alumni list and case studies, and their juvenile social media graphics and spelling typos are symbolic of what lies underneath.
Travel football is not about colored smoke, transfer portals, silly commitment graphics or trophies. It is about skill and character development. It is about getting kids ready to play at the highest level of high school football, educating them and their families on the complex new recruiting process, and most of all raising men of good character.
A good program is defined by how many players move on to the top high schools and colleges, and more importantly how many become good fathers, husbands and contributors to society.
Between pop-up teams, private trainers, social-media hype, and empty promises, parents are often left asking the same question:
How do I know which travel football program is actually right for my child?
This guide is designed to help Long Island families cut through the noise and evaluate youth football programs the right way—based on skill development, leadership, NIL & recruiting education, reputation, and character development, not hype or trophies.
1. Is It an Established Youth Football Program or a Daddy Team?
One of the first questions parents should ask is simple:
Is this an established program with multiple teams and age groups, or a single team created so dads can coach their own sons and control their positions and playing time?
Some programs are a gathering place, and last stop for coaches and people that have burned bridges everyplace else. Programs built around preserving a coach’s child’s position or playing time is a recipe for disaster. There is no long-term vision, no accountability, and no developmental pipeline.
Nothing good comes from this. Ever.
Established Long Island youth football programs:
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Have multiple age groups
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Maintain consistent and qualified leadership; experts in the field
- Have strict oversight on player and coach evaluations to avoid daddy ball situations
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Outlast bad coaches and toxic personalities
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They actually have programs and experts to teach your son about NIL and Education. Look out for false advertising. Ask specifically who is teaching these classes and what their credentials are.
2. Who Are the Leaders and What Is Their Reputation?
Reputation matters in Long Island youth football.
Ask around. Coaches, high-school programs, trainers, and league administrators all know the same names. Some are consistently associated with professionalism and respect. Others are repeatedly linked to drama, negativity, and burned bridges.
Patterns matter.
Programs led by people who:
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Constantly bounce leagues
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Publicly attack other organizations
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Blame refs, leagues, or “politics”
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Create conflict wherever they go
…will eventually bring that chaos into your family’s experience.
Good leaders build. Toxic leaders divide.
3. Recreation Football Has a Place But Travel Football Demands More
There is nothing wrong with recreational youth football. It serves an important role.
But families pursuing high-level travel football should expect:
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Stronger competition
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Higher accountability
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Player development over win-padding
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Preparation for high school football
If a program’s biggest selling point is dominating weak competition, beating up teams in Division 3, and chasing trophies in low divisions, ask yourself: Who is really benefiting? Ask what league they play in. Ask what division they play in. Ask what teams they play. It’s easy to claim that you are national champions on social media. Ask about the details. What division are they, what does the bracket look like, what teams did they actually play, how did they get there, and where did they finish.
Iron sharpens iron.
4. What Are the Coaches’ Football Backgrounds?
This question matters more than most parents realize.
Ask directly:
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Have the coaches actually played football? Ask what position, what level, what school.
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Have they coached at the high-school or college level?
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Do they understand positional development and projection?
- Do they have success stories to share with you of their own son or players that they coached?
There is a massive difference between:
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Experienced coaches who understand long-term development
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And daddies running drills and making instagram posts based on what “looks cool”
Development requires knowledge, not enthusiasm alone.
5. How Long Has the Program Been Around?
Longevity is proof.
Respected Long Island youth football organizations like Long Island Elite Football, Massapequa Mustangs, Brooklyn Titans, Lynvets (William Floyd) Freeport Red Ravens, Brooklyn Chiefs, Rosedale Jets, Uniondale Knights, Merrick Braves, Harlem Jets to name a few — they don’t appear overnight, and they don’t disappear quietly. They have:
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Alumni playing high-school football across the region and moved on to play college and NFL football
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Players advancing to competitive programs
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Relationships with coaches that span decades
Ask for alumni. Ask where kids ended up. Ask how long the program has existed under the same leadership.
History matters.
6. Does the Program Perform Background Checks on Coaches?
This is non-negotiable.
Any youth football program on Long Island should conduct formal background checks on coaches and staff.
There are some individuals who simply should not be working with children—period. Parents should never feel uncomfortable asking this question.
If leadership gets defensive instead of transparent, that tells you everything you need to know.
7. Does the Program Teach Life Skills Beyond Football?
Football ends for everyone.
Even for the small percentage who play in college or beyond, football eventually stops. What remains is character, discipline, habits, and values.
Strong youth football programs teach:
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Accountability
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Time management
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Ethics
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Academic habits
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Respect for authority
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Social media awareness
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Recruiting and academic expectations
- Positive character traits
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Personal branding and conduct
- Recruiting
If the program only cares about football, it’s incomplete.
8. The Most Important Question:
What Is the Character of the Leadership?
Forget schemes. Forget wins. Forget rankings.
Ask:
- Who are these people as human beings?
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Does the program offer financial assistance to players that need it?
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How do they treat their own family?
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How do they treat people?
- Do they help others?
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Do they hold themselves to the same standards they demand of players, coaches, and parents?
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Do they enforce discipline or do they excuse behavior?
Good people attract good people. Toxic environments attract more toxicity.
Choose programs led by collaborators, not trolls. Builders, not dividers. Leaders with an abundance mindset—not scarcity.
Your child becomes a product of the environment you place them in.
A Final Word to Long Island Parents
Youth football should develop strong players and stronger young men.
When evaluating travel football programs on Long Island, NY, look beyond:
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Flashy graphics
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Social media hype
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Inflated records
Instead, focus on:
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Leadership
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Reputation
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Development
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Education
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Character
Ask hard questions. Demand real answers. Your child deserves more than silly graphics and false promises.
Looking for More Youth Football Insight?
Follow @LIEliteFootball on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook for education, standards, and transparency around youth football on Long Island.