Why FTC?
Welcome to our new robotics team! We are beyond excited to share this adventure with our students, families, and community. One of the first decisions any new robotics team has to make is which league to compete in — and there are three main options available to high school students. We want to walk you through each one and explain why we landed on the league that’s the right fit for us.
Two of the three leagues we’ll discuss fall under the umbrella of an organization called FIRST, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. It was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen to inspire youth to get involved in science and technology. FIRST operates as a nonprofit and offers two programs relevant to high school students: the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) and the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC).
Option 1: FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
FRC is for students in grades 9–12 and is widely considered the “Varsity League” of high school robotics — the varsity sport for the mind. If you’ve ever watched an FRC competition, the energy in the room is absolutely electric and hard to describe. We encourage you to check out this video to see it for yourself.
However, that level of spectacle comes with a significant price tag. Robots in FRC can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000, and entering a single competition costs $6,500. On top of that, teams must budget for travel, food, and hotel expenses. Realistically, it would be very difficult to get started in FRC for less than $20,000 for the season.
Custom parts in FRC are often made out of metal using expensive CNC machines, which adds further cost and complexity. Teams are also judged not just on their robots, but on areas like fundraising and community outreach — making this a comprehensive, demanding, and rewarding program.
Option 2: VEX Robotics (V5)
The VEX V5 league is the most affordable of the three options. The robot kit comes in at under $1,000, which is a major advantage for budget-conscious programs.
However, there is a significant trade-off: the entire robot must be built exclusively from the provided VEX kit, with very little to no custom parts allowed. This limits the creativity and engineering problem-solving that comes from designing and building components from scratch.
Option 3: FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) — Our Choice 
FTC strikes the ideal balance between accessibility, creativity, and competitive depth — and it’s why we chose it.
The Cost Makes It Possible
FTC is financially much more obtainable than FRC. Robots typically cost between $1,500 and $3,000, and registering a team is just $325 for the entire season. That’s a fraction of what FRC requires, and it means more students can participate without the program depending on massive sponsorships just to get off the ground.
Our League: Aero Coast
We compete in the Aero Coast League, which spans from Pensacola to Tallahassee. Our season includes four to five competitions, plus a qualifying tournament. If we perform well enough, we advance to the Florida State Finals — a fantastic goal to work toward each season.
Creativity Through Custom Building
Unlike VEX, FTC allows — and encourages — teams to design and build custom parts. Most custom components in FTC are made from plastic using 3D printers, though metal parts are occasionally used as well. This opens the door to real engineering design thinking: our students won’t just be assembling a kit — they’ll be creating something original.
The Competition Experience
While the atmosphere at FTC competitions may not quite match the over-the-top energy of FRC, it is genuinely exciting and well worth experiencing. Check out this incredible video showcasing some of the most impressive robots built for FTC over the past several years — you’ll see just how creative and capable these machines are.
FTC is for grades 7 – 12. Since this program is more accessible it tends to have more high schoolers grades 9-12.
It’s About More Than Robots
Both FTC and FRC programs go far beyond technical skills, and that philosophy is a huge part of why we love FIRST. One of the core values FIRST instills in every team is what they call Gracious Professionalism — a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. In plain terms: we cheer for other teams, we help our competitors when they need it, and we treat everyone with kindness and respect. Always.
A team cannot win in FTC by being technically great alone. Teams are judged on a wide range of non-technical areas as well, including:
- Fundraising — Can your team build financial support from your community?
- Community Outreach — Are you spreading the love of STEM beyond your team?
- Engineering Notebooks — Are you documenting your design process thoughtfully and professionally? See examples of award-winning engineering notebooks here.
This holistic approach is what sets FIRST apart from other activities. Our students will graduate from this program not just as better engineers, but as better communicators, teammates, leaders, and community members.
The Bottom Line
FRC is an incredible program — but it’s out of reach for most new teams without enormous fundraising infrastructure. VEX is affordable but limits the engineering creativity we want our students to experience. FTC gives us the best of both worlds: real engineering challenges, meaningful competition, community connection, and a cost structure that makes it possible for us to exist and grow.
We are proud to be a FIRST Tech Challenge team, and we can’t wait to show our community what we’re made of. Stay tuned for updates as we build our team, design our first robot, and head into our first season in the Aero Coast League!
Go team!