Youth & High School Football | Chicago Bears Official Website

The Chicago Bears Coach of the Week program, brought to you by Athletico, was launched in 1996 and honors outstanding Illinois high school coaches who develop players' football skills and knowledge, character, leadership, discipline and teamwork abilities. Deserving high school coaches are nominated by a panel of local prep authorities and winners are selected each week during the high school football season. Each winner receives a $2,000 donation for their school's football program.

Week 1 l Darren Sunkett - East St. Louis High School (East St. Louis, IL)

Week 2 l Chuck Spagnoli - Lake Forest High School (Lake Forest, IL)

Week 3 | Mark Farrell - Fenton High School (Benseville, IL)

Week 4 | Tim Heyse - Hoffman Estates High School (Hoffman Estates, IL)

Week 5 | Nathan Eimer - West Aurora High School (Aurora, IL)

Week 6 | Lou Sponsel - William Fred High School (Palatine, IL)

Week 7 | Thomas Hart - Joliet Centeral High School (Joliet, IL)

Week 8 l Joe Ryan – Sycamore High School (Sycamore, IL)

Week 9 | Dan Finger - Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (Chicago, IL)

The Chicago Bears High School All-Star program, brought to you by Athletico, was launched program in 2011. The nomination criteria includes on-field performance, community involvement and good sportsmanship. Deserving high school players are nominated by a panel of local prep authorities and the winners are selected each week during the high school football season. The Bears donate $500 to a local non-profit of the winner's choosing each week.

Week 1 l Aaron Stewart - Warren Township High School (Gurnee, IL)

Week 2 l Aidan McClure - St. Charles North High School (St. Charles IL)

Week 3 | Kaedon Phillips - Sterling High School (Sterling, IL)

Week 4 | Bradyn Little - Quincy High School (Quincy, IL)

Week 5 | Quinn Schambow - Libertyville High School (Libertyville, IL)

Week 6 | Johnny O'Brien - William Fremd High School (Palatine, IL)

Week 7 | Myles Mitchell - Richards High School (Oak Lawn, IL)

Week 8 l Jacob Bell – Naperville North High School (Naperville, IL)

Week 9 | Frankie Hosty - Fenewick High School (Oak Park, IL)

The Chicago Bears Girls Flag Coach of the Week program honors outstanding Illinois high school coaches who develop players' football skills and knowledge, character, leadership, discipline and teamwork abilities. Deserving high school coaches are nominated by a panel of local coaches and the winners are selected each week during the high school football season. Each winner receives a $2,000 donation for their school's flag football program.

Week 1 | Rachel Karos - Willowbrook High School (Villa Park, IL)

Week 2 l Sarah Gutierrez - Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire, IL)

Week 3 | Starr Dorsey - John Hersey High School (Arlington Heights, IL)

Week 4 | Erin Pruitt - Simeon High School (Chicago, IL)

Week 5 | Greg Taylor - Guilford High School (Rockford, IL)

Week 6 | Germaine Padilla - Taft High School (Chicago, IL)

Week 7 | Saja Alnajjar - Stagg High School (Palo Hills, IL)

Week 8 l Carlton Rosemond – Evanston Township High School (Evanston, IL)

Week 9 | Rebecca O'Dette - William Fremd High School (Palatine, IL)

The Chicago Bears Girls Flag Player of the Week program highlights on-field performance, community involvement and good sportsmanship. Deserving high school girls flag football players are nominated by a panel of local coaches and the winners are selected each week during the high school football season. The Bears donate $500 to a local non-profit of the winner's choosing each week.

Week 1 | Oqiria Butler - Solorio High School (Chicago, IL)

Week 2 l Lily Sarli - Taft High School (Chicago, IL)

Week 3 | Layah Glover - Round Lake High School (Round Lake, IL)

Week 4 | Abriella Spandiary - Main South High School (Park Ridge, IL)

Week 5 | Myonnia Johnson - Prosser Career Academy (Chicago, IL)

Week 6 | Emily Ovaska - Lake Community High School (Lake Villa, IL)

Week 7 | Florencia Fabian - Lake Tech High School (Chicago, IL)

Week 8 l Zariah Burnett – Guilford High School (Rockford, IL)

Week 9 | Mackenzie Drake - William Fremd High School (Palatine, IL)

The Bears are proud to partner with Athletico Physical Therapy to present the Chicago Bears Community High School All-Star Award that recognizes high school football players who make a positive impact in their community and school. These student-athletes exemplify service, leadership and character. The Bears Community High School All-Stars take the lessons learned through playing the sport of football and use them to benefit their community. Nominations are open March-May.

The Chicago Bears annually host a Nike 11-On event for boys tackle and a Nike 11-On event for girls flag at a local high school in the Chicago area. Sixteen high schools participate in scrimmages and skills competitions over two days.

The Chicago Bears, in partnership with USA Football, annually host a Nike High School Training Camp at a local high school. Four high schools and over 250 athletes participated in a variety of skills and drills led by USA Football Master Trainers and Chicago Bears alumni Jason McKie, Kaseem Sinceno, and Brandon McGowan, who all currently coach high school football in Illinois. Each school also received a $2,500 donation to their football program.

Each year, the Chicago Bears support Chicago Public Schools with a grant to assist with athletic trainers and equipment for their high school football programs. Bears Care through the NFL Foundation also supports local schools with athletic training grants to help support the health and safety of high school students playing boys tackle or girls flag football.

Mini Monsters, brought to you by Advocate Health Care, is a free youth program that stresses the importance of healthy eating, physical activity and proper hydration through fun, non-contact football drills.

The Bears annually host the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter Scholar-Athlete Awards at Halas Hall. In 2024, eight high school seniors received college scholarships for their excellence on the football field, the classroom and community. The Chicago Bears Community Champion Award was presented to two high school football players for their tremendous civic involvement, and the Chicago Bears' Girls Flag Football Changemaker Scholarship was awarded to three high school girls flag football players. The scholarships are provided through a partnership between Bears Care and the National Football Foundation.

The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program is a partnership of the National Football League Foundation (NFL Foundation) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to provide non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations, middle schools and high schools with financing and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local football fields.

The Chicago Bears and NFL celebrate "Play Football Month" every August. The Bears provide several hundred complimentary tickets to different youth football leagues throughout Illinois. Select youth football players attending the game get to participate in pre-game and halftime festivities, which includes joining Bears players for the National Anthem and scrimmaging at halftime.

Each year, the Chicago Bears host the Special Olympics Illinois Flag Football Tournament at the Walter Payton Center brought to you by United Airlines. United Airlines staff volunteer for the day to help facilitate the camp and Chicago Bears players visit with the athletes. We are proud to partner with Special Olympics and their athletes.

The Chicago Bears partner with USA Football to host a youth coaches clinic at Halas Hall every year. Hundreds of coaches from numerous Illinois youth football organizations attend the clinic. Join more than 100,000 youth football coaches across the country that have taken action by getting certified. Register for this clinic and advance your player health and safety education. In this clinic, you will gain the knowledge focused on health and safety, transformational coaching, quality coaching, abuse prevention, equipment fitting, shoulder tackling, blocking and defeating blocks

Junior Bear Tackle Football is a free, tackle football league serving over 700 boys and girls, ages 8-13, at 17 different parks throughout the city. Participants compete in either the 8-10 year old "PeeWee" Division or the 11-13 year old "Varsity" Division against kids their own weight and age. The program is supported by Bears Care and the teams are coached by park district staff as well as volunteers.

Bears Inner City Flag Football is a free flag football league designed for boys and girls, ages 9 to 12, who live in Chicago Housing Authority developments or scattered site housing. The league is administered by the Park District in partnership with the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Housing Authority. The program is supported by Bears Care and the teams are coached by community volunteers recruited with assistance from the Chicago Police Department (CAPS).

NFL FLAG is the National Football League's premier youth football program for kids 6-14 years old. Available nationwide, including all 32 NFL markets, NFL FLAG is a community-based turnkey program that provides all youth the opportunity to play in an organized NFL non-contact football league. Every team receives official NFL team-identified footballs and every participant receives their favorite NFL team-identified reversible jersey and official NFL FLAG belts. For more information, please visit www.NFLflag.com.