Film director Peter Berg working with USA Football
By Joe Frollo Thu, 08/02/2012 - 11:21am
Peter Berg is teaming up with USA Football and the NFL for a documentary about how USA Football is making football better and safer for youth players.
Titled “Heads Up Football,” Berg has been filming at numerous USA Football event sites, including the recent NFL/USA Youth Football Summit in Canton, Ohio. The documentary follows programs USA Football has adopted, including Heads Up Football, which takes the head out of the tackle and is designed to lessen the change for injury, including concussion.
“It’s an attempt to reteach the game of football starting at the youngest level,” Berg told Variety. “It’s about teaching techniques for tackling to avoid catastrophic injuries and concussion.”
Heads Up Football provides the tools for parents and coaches to make the game safer for our kids. Visit usafootball.com for free Heads Up Football resources – including concussion awareness, Heads Up tackling, coaching education and equipment fitting – designed to improve the sport and individual leagues.
USA Football is the national governing body of the sport and the official youth football development partner of the NFL and the NFL Players Association.
Berg became an advocate for concussion and catastrophic neck injury prevention while filming “Friday Night Lights” in Austin, Texas. The film used live high school football action within its scenes to provide a more realistic effect.
At one of the games, Berg and his crew witnessed a 15-year-old boy who injured his neck and spinal cord during a Texas high school playoff game when he collided in mid-air with another player. The boy was paralyzed.
Learn more about Heads Up Football at www.usafootball.com. More about the program will be announced later this month as part of the NFL’s USA Football Month, including televised preseason games.
