Who can participate in the Exeter Seahawks Football Program?

Students (boys and girls) entering grades 2nd thru 8th in the Fall season who reside within Exeter, Stratham and the surrounding towns.  Contact us if you are unsure if your town is included in our 'draw' zone!  No experience is required, we don't hold tryouts; all players participate on teams and receive playing time during games.

 

When does registration begin and end?

Please see our Football Registration page for up to date information.

 

What do I need for Equipment?

Thanks to generous donations, fundraising and sponsors, the Seahawks provide a helmet, shoulder pads, a game jersey, a practice jersey, game pants and practice pants. Your player will need to provide:

a mouthguard, a protective cup, cleats, belt, game socks and a water bottle.

A $300 Security Deposit is collected at the equipment handout that will be returned at the end of the season if all equipment is returned in good condition AND if the family volunteer requirements have been met.

Players entering the 6th, 7th and 8th grade must take an online baseline concussion study/test before the season begins in order to play.  Please visit the Baseline Concussion area for more information on the test and how to log on to it!

Are there any preseason opportunities available for Seahawks Football?

Absolutely. There are several local camps that come around each summer right before the season. We will post related and recommend camps on or social media page, as well as in our Seahawks Camps and Events page.

 

Where/When are practices and games?

The Exeter Seahawks play in the Northeast Junior High Football League which is the largest youth league in New Hampshire.  Our games are within an hour of Exeter in most cases.  Our Home games are played at the CMS field in Stratham, while our practices take place at the Linden St Fields in Exeter behind the YMCA.

The following dates/times may change prior to the season start, but here is an example of what to expect:

Practices begin the second week of August and run Monday thru Friday for ALL age levels from 5pm-7pm until the week school begins.  This time is critical for conditioning, safety training, skill building and creating balanced teams if needed (some grade levels may separate into multiple teams depending on roster numbers).  When school begins, practices drop to three to four nights a week. Typically, Tuesday-Friday evenings.

It is important to make the practices to be properly prepared but we are realistic - things come up in real life,  so please communicate to your coaching staff as soon as possible if time is to be missed.

Games for 2nd-6th grade usually fall on Saturdays, primarily in the morning.  Games for 7th/8th grade are traditionally played either Saturday night under the lights or on Sunday afternoons.   The 7th/8th graders are separated into a Junior Varsity and Varsity group, oftentimes by grade or experience level to create the best learning environment.

The JV/V teams will often need to be present at two games in a row on a weekend but depending on team structure, not all players will necessarily be playing both games; more detailed explanation will be available at the beginning of practices.

The last weekend before Labor Day Weekend the older teams often participate in a local Jamboree scrimmage festival.  Labor Day Weekend is a free weekend, and regular season games begin the weekend after.   The season ends generally in November. However, some teams play until mid November depending on their post season rankings.  Parents are responsible for bringing the players to the games; no bus transportation is available.

 

Do I have to Volunteer? 

Yes. And no...

For those that are not available during the season to volunteer, there is a one time opt out fee available at registration. This opt out fee will be utilized to ensure volunteer positions are filled for each game.

The The Seahawks organization is 100% volunteer based from our Board to our Coaches, an unfortunately in regards to our Home games if certain roles are not filled, there can be no games.  If you ARE interested in Coaching or in other organization duties, please contact us!

 

My family is having some tough times, is there assistance available?

We at the Seahawks, firmly believe that no child should be left off the field due to the situations outside of their control. Thanks to generous donors and fundraising we have been able to keep the program costs as low as possible. We also offer flexible payment installment plans.

Further, the Seahawks are a proud partner of the "#AreUIn" program located within the local community. Please check out the website information on extremely beneficial program for our area. We offer to cover all registration fees for "#AreUIn?"members.

Please note that our volunteer requirement is not able to be waived in most cases for those entering via Scholarship.

Please contact us with any questions regarding Scholarship opportunities.