Friday Night Lights Get Brighter for Youngest Athletes

APS offers free varsity game admission to youth football players and cheerleaders in uniform.

For youth football players and cheerleaders in Albuquerque, varsity games just got a whole lot sweeter.

Albuquerque Public Schools has instituted a new policy aimed at inspiring the next generation of student-athletes: free admission to corresponding high school varsity football games for any Young America Football League participant who shows up in uniform. 

“If a YAFL kid plays or cheers for the Eagle team, he or she can attend the Eldorado Eagle game for free,” explained Adrian Ortega, executive director of athletics and activities for APS.

The initiative, effective for the 2026 season, applies to all YAFL players and cheerleaders wearing their official team attire. Each young athlete must be accompanied by an adult chaperone, who will pay standard admission prices.

District officials hope the policy will bolster attendance, foster community spirit and strengthen the pipeline for local high school sports programs by inviting young athletes into the game-day experience early on.