Map first
Before a ranking is published, the full coverage field is mapped league by league and team by team.
Why this exists
A ranking that covers some teams and not others isn’t a ranking. It’s a popularity contest.
MADE IT UP Sports started as a joke about youth football rankings. When people began taking it seriously, the response was not to shut it down. The response was to do it right: define the territory, map every qualifying team, and apply one written standard to everybody.
Then cover equally
Every verified qualifying program enters the same coverage workflow. No favorites. No skipping smaller programs.
Article II · Qualification
The five-point test
A team is covered only when every requirement is satisfied. Missing one element means the team does not qualify.
11-man tackle
The program fields a full team with eleven players per side under standard American tackle football rules and field dimensions.
Registered team
The team belongs to a formally organized, publicly documented league. Independent and freelance teams do not qualify.
NorCal league
The registered league operates within the official Northern California territory: Del Norte to Inyo, coast to Sierra.
Youth eligible
Every participant satisfies the CIF age requirement. Open-age adult and semi-pro competition is outside this standard.
Verified
League membership must clear the MADE IT UP Sports verification standard before a team is treated as confirmed.
All five. No partial qualification. No discretionary exception.
Covered competition
Tackle football competition that satisfies all five qualification elements.
Full team
A team fielding eleven players per side under standard American tackle football rules and field dimensions.
Registered league
A formally organized, publicly documented football league with a published membership roll, published schedule, and published standings or results, recognized by the applicable governing body.
Northern California
Every county from Del Norte to Inyo, coast to Sierra. The southern boundary runs through Monterey, Kings, Tulare, and Inyo counties. Counties south of that line are outside the territory.
Youth
Every participant satisfies the CIF age requirement: a student whose 19th birthday is attained before June 15 is ineligible for the following school year. The age ceiling, not the absence of legal adults, defines youth football.
Adult/open league
A league with no maximum-age eligibility rule. Open-age adult, semi-pro, and adult amateur competition does not qualify as youth football.
Tackle football
Full-contact American football. Flag, 7-on-7, and other non-tackle formats are treated separately.
Article III · Exclusions
Where the line is drawn
Quality is not the question. The rule book separates formats and eligibility so the ranked field stays consistent.
8-man and 6-man
Legitimate programs, but a different format from full-team 11-man football.
Flag and 7-on-7
Not mapped or ranked at this time. Northern California teams in registered Northern California leagues may still appear in Top Plays and similar coverage.
Adult and open leagues
A league with no age ceiling, including semi-pro, does not qualify as youth football.
Independent teams
Freelance and unaffiliated teams remain outside the field until they complete registration in a qualifying league.
Southern boundary
Teams in counties south of Monterey, Kings, Tulare, and Inyo fall outside Northern California coverage.
Out-of-state leagues
A Northern California team inside an otherwise out-of-state league may be watched for highlights and tags, but it cannot enter rankings under the registered-in-Northern-California rule.
Hurdle highlights
Jumping over an upright defender — hurdling — is illegal under NFHS Rule 9-4-3d: a 15-yard personal foul, enforced by CIF and mirrored in youth leagues like Pop Warner that play under NFHS-based rules. In CIF flag football, attempting to jump over an opponent draws a 10-yard penalty. MADE IT UP Sports will not publish hurdle highlights. We will not promote an illegal, unsafe act to youth players.
Article IV · Verification
Proof before placement
No team is presented as confirmed until league membership is supported by at least three independent published sources. Verification continues as alignments and seasons change.
Article V · Inquiries
Think a team was left out?
Coaches, parents, guardians, and program representatives can challenge a coverage decision with documentation. Every inquiry is judged against the same five qualification elements.
- 01Identify the team.
- 02Identify the registered league.
- 03Show how all five requirements are satisfied.
Article VI · Scoreboard
How to get your score posted
The weekly scoreboard is built from scores posted by the community — parents, coaches, and fans across social media. Follow these seven rules and your score makes the board.
Team, opponent, and age division must be stated.
Every score needs both team names and the age division (6U, 8U, 10U…). If the age division isn't stated, we'll try to find it — if we can't, the score stays off the board.
No opponent, no scoreboard.
Both teams must be named, or the score doesn't go up.
Final scores only.
The game has to be over. No predictions, no halftime scores.
Tackle football only.
11-man tackle in Northern California. Flag and 7v7 don't go on the board.
State your league if you know it.
Not required — but it gets your score placed faster.
You post it, you vouch for it.
Post a score and you're vouching that it's real. If we find an inconsistency, you're banned — every post from that account comes off our boards for good.
Get it in by Monday evening.
The weekly board covers the weekend just played. Late scores roll to the next sweep.
Phased coverage. These standards begin with tackle football. Any additional sport will be governed by a separate written standard.
Amendments. Only a dated written revision from MADE IT UP Sports changes this rule book. Social posts, oral statements, and prior practice do not.
Effective date. September 20, 2026. Applies to listings published on or after that date.
Amendment — September 28, 2026. Added the hurdle-highlight standard: MADE IT UP Sports does not publish hurdle highlights.
Amendment — September 29, 2026. Added the scoreboard submission rules (Article VI): how to get your score posted on the weekly board.