It’s time to start working toward full Heads Up Football adoption

By Joe Frollo | Posted 7/22/2016

High schools and youth organizations across the United States are once again showing their commitment to the highest standards in the sport by taking part in USA Football’s Heads Up Football program this fall.

With the start of preseason practices just weeks away, it’s time for commissioners, athletic directors and coaches to begin working toward complying with the program’s principles.

Those include:

  • Naming a Player Safety Coach, who must pass USA Football’s online coaching course and attend an in-person PSC Clinic
  • Registering all coaches – head and assistant – as members of USA Football and having them certified through the online coaching courses at USAFootball.com or NFHSLearn.com.
  • Holding a Coaches Clinic and a Parents Clinic, led by the Player Safety Coach, in which Heads Up Football’s eight primary elements are reinforced with coaches and introduced to parents.
  • Maintaining minimum insurance requirements 

Leagues that fulfill these requirements are eligible for USA Football equipment grants and visits from Heads Up Football Ambassadors, former NFL players who work alongside youth leagues and high schools across the nation, helping leagues advance player safety by working with coaches and administrators to advance best practices.

Supported by more than three dozen medical and football partners – including the American College of Sports Medicine, National Athletic Trainers’ Association and all five major college football conferences – Heads Up Football also provides instruction on heat preparedness and hydration; proper tackling and blocking fundamentals; sudden cardiac arrest protocols; and equipment fitting. More than 6,300 youth leagues and 1,100 high schools in 2015 signed up for the program, benefiting nearly 1 million players.

Commissioners and athletic directors can track their organizations’ Heads Up Football adoption progress through their membership dashboards.

“Every sport deserves trained and prepared coaches, so emphasis on fundamentals and techniques and the best information on player health matters to minimize risk of injury for young athletes,” National Federation of State High School Associations Executive Director Bob Gardner said. “Heads Up Football fulfills these areas and holds relevancy for other sports.”

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