"FRIDAY NIGHT TYKES" RETURNS TO ESQUIRE NETWORK ON JANUARY 19 AT 9PM ET/PT

The Critically-Acclaimed Documentary Series Heads Back To The Lone Star State for Its Most Controversial Season Yet

LOS ANGELES - December 16, 2015 - After two explosive seasons, Esquire Network's hit documentary series FRIDAY NIGHT TYKES returns to San Antonio, TX for a third season on Tuesday, January 19 at 9/8c. The series that sparked a national debate will continue the conversation with 10 episodes ordered following one of the most competitive youth football leagues in America. With exclusive access to the 10 and 11-year-old division of the Texas Youth Football Association (TYFA), viewers get an authentic look at the making of football's next generation of professional superstars as the series digs deep into controversial hot topics that are prevalent in today's media.

With no size or weight limit for its players, TYFA, an independent youth football league places children in the center of the firestorm. FRIDAY NIGHT TYKES addresses serious questions about youth sports and specifically as they relate to parenting and safety. How hard should we truly push our kids? Is the pressure too much for a child? What do we hope to achieve? Is this sport safe for young children? The groundbreaking series doesn't shy away from tackling the controversial questions at the heart of every All-American football family. Parents and coaches share insight into why they believe the sport is important, what motivates them, and what lessons they feel that the children learn from their discipline and dedication.

As many of the player's followed in previous seasons enter their final year in TYFA, viewers see an unbelievable phenomenon arise as teams compete to recruit the league's top players, with some parents claiming they've been offered incentives to join different teams. This creates a veritable free agency market for 11-year-olds.

Last season, viewers saw the initiation of newly designed programs to improve safety and conduct while attempting to maintain the league's reputation as the most competitive youth football league in the country. After the Bronco's coach Charles Chavarria was suspended for encouraging improper tackling techniques, his former team attempted a gentler approach that resulted in less wins for the season.

The football fanatical Hurt family parted ways with the Lobos after accusations of favoritism led to a nasty incident on the sidelines. Tempers flared and a verbal altercation ensued. Coach Marecus Goodloe led the Colts to a turbulent and emotional season before stepping down as Head Coach. Meanwhile his good friend, Fred Davis continued to lead TYFA's pre-eminent franchise, The Outlaws, to an undefeated season and a second consecutive championship title.

Now, a new season kicks off with all-star tykes dominating the Jr. division and Goodloe and Davis joining forces and taking the San Antonio Outlaws national to join the Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL). Raising the bar, this places the Outlaws in direct competition with select youth teams from Texas, California and Colorado, with a chance at winning the National Title. These seasoned young athletes embody the intense passion of Texas football where everyone lives and breathes the sport. And while their focus is on wins over losses, an underlying question presented in the series is if there is a better way to define victory.

Season three introduces a revamped Predators, whose philosophy is "Smashmouth: Aggressive and Confrontational football." Lead by head coach John Collins, they practice hits every single day. On the opposite end of the spectrum and field sit the Yoakum Outlawz who take a drastically different approach and practice only one day a week to avoid overexertion. They've seen great success with this approach and look forward to proving this on the field.

Join the families and coaches that make up the San Antonio Outlaws, Texas Storm, San Antonio Seahawks, Yoakum Outlawz, San Antonio Predators and Jr. Broncos when FRIDAY NIGHT TYKES premieres Tuesday, January 19 at 9/8c. This is how football is made.

FRIDAY NIGHT TYKES is produced by 441 Productions and Electro-Fish Films for Esquire Network. Matt Maranz, Steve Berkowitz, David Karabinas and Chris Elley are executive producers.

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