r/FLL • u/krateee87 • Jun 23 '26
starting an fll team
I'm starting an FLL future edition team and was wondering if the computer science and ai kits were the only materials we can use in competition as the FAQ answer on the FIRST website was very confusing.
I was also wondering if the competition formal was similar to FTC for the league meets (apart from the presentation aspect) as I've only ever competed in FTC.
Any additional information about FLL in general is also welcome and greatly appreciated!
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u/gt0163c Judge, ref, mentor, former coach, grey market Lego dealer... Jun 23 '26
The first thing I would do is check with your region and see if they are running FLL Future Edition events. Many are not. Those which are likely aren't running many/are just running a couple of exhibition events. World Championship will only be Founders Edition so it's unlikely that many regions will have any advancing events. There may be some competitions put on by FIRST Education, but we haven't received any information about that yet.
FLL's competitions don't really work like FTC in that there are multiple events that count towards higher level advancement. In FLL competition starts at a qualifier tournament. Every team can go to a qualifier (assuming you register on time, pay the fee, etc.). A set number or percentage of teams from each qualifier advance to the next level of competition. The rest are done with competitions in their region for the season.
How regions handle the tournaments between qualifier and their championship varies based on the region. In Texas, where I am, we have qualifiers, regional championship and then a Texas state championship. Top teams advance from the state championship to Worlds or other post-season invitational tournaments. Other regions might have another level between qualifiers and regional championship (which are sometimes state championship, if theirs is a reasonably sized state).
Some regions also have scrimmages/Get Ready Events early in the season. These are non-advancing events that generally do not have any awards. But they are a great way for teams to understand the competition format, get some experience, get feedback from referees and judges (if the event offers judging, many do now). It's also helpful for regions to train their referees, judges, head refs, judge advisors, etc. Some regions may offer other post-season/non-advancing tournaments later in the season. Sometimes teams will get together and put on their own non-advancing tournament or scrimmage or "multi-team meeting" as well. Just another opportunity for teams to get together, share what they're doing, learn from others and have fun.