The older you get the stronger you get, but that goes for everybody else too. As you get bigger others do too so 6 year olds are just as safe as 12s.

My son has played from third through sixth and has done great and he is a small sixth grader.He weighs about 75lbs and was our running back playing with kids ahat were 130 to 150 and did fine.Our league now starts at first grade.Everything has always been safe we love it.

My oldest son played football last year when he was 6. Just as with football for the older kids our football league had the full gear (helmets, pads, etc). Football is safe as playing any other sport. The only difference with football and other sports is that the kids wear more protective gear.

I have been coaching youth football going on my third year this season. I started coaching at a 6 year old level the first year. My second year I coached 6-7-8. Now I am coaching 9-10 this year. From my experiences we these 3 age groups playing football at six is 99% safe. The one percent being scratches busted lips and a bloody nose here and there. I think if they want to play let them, the younger they get accustomed to the contact the better off and safer they will be. You have to learn to take a hit before you can give them.

ALL OF THE ABOVE. Being an athlete is 80 to 90 % TECHNIQUE. An 20 to 10 % of where and when to use the skill sets for your position. With that and a 110% of DESIRE you can compete. Some children will not have the DISCIPLINE at 6yrs to be taught proper technique and how to properly apply them to keep form getting hurt. Their kids an FUN is the # 1 goal, but bad technique is what gets most athletes hurt on any level, any sport. When you talk about young children 6 to 10 yrs, or any athlete. Desire is the foundation. You can ruin a good athlete like most good thing can be. If you and your child will start a sport for the first time do your home work. Get you 10, 20, 30 practice drills what ever suit your time and desire. Get to know the the sport you intend to play and what it takes to compete. Contact football is just that on any level, CONTACT. Their going to get hit. If the technique is wrong it will hurt more. Good advice WRESTLING they start as young as 4. A couple of yrs before their old enough for contact football, this will help!
My son Quintavious is 6yrs in the pics on our page. I don't think I have all the pics from last yr on there. I have them broke down a little more on our myspace page. www.myspace.com/theconfident1
You play WEplay

I believe Lorenzo is correct on technique is the difference of getting hurt and not .... Of corse you might take a hard hit and get your bell rung or someone land on your leg a break it but i mean that can happen anytime just playing tag out side ....but at that level which i have coached for 3 years at 6-8 years old it is up to the coaches to make sure each and ever kids has the proper technique to tackle , block ,ect to make it as safe as possable !!!!

FOOTBALL AND BOXING IS THE WAY TO GO !!!!!!!! my boy has played since he was six and boxed from the age of 10 and has no problem, never got hurt other then normal ache's and pain's........ it's when hes not playing FOOTBALL or BOXING he gets hurt ......... OFF SEASON ...... KO'd by a po go stick needed stitches ..... broken ankle ...... broken nose ....... cut open his head ........ cut open his brow ........ chip tooth ........... staples in his head .......... we wish it would last all year