PITTSBURGH STEELERS SUPPORT YOUTH FOOTBALL THROUGH FUNDING USA FOOTBALL COACH CERTIFICATIONS
Benefitting thousands of children across Western Pennsylvania youth football programs, the Pittsburgh Steelers will provide financial support toward USA Football Youth Coach Certification for their coaches in 2022. The Steelers and USA Football, the sport’s national governing body and a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, are committed to provide positive, healthy experiences for young athletes and their families.
Pennsylvania youth football leagues that enroll with USA Football free of cost are eligible to receive the Steelers’ support toward USA Football’s accredited youth coach certification process. Enrolling with USA Football is free and open to all youth football organizations.
More than 1,100 youth coaches benefited from the Steelers’ funding support in 2021.
USA Football’s Youth Coach Certification recently earned accreditation from the United States Center for Coaching Excellence (USCCE), delivering the only youth football coach certification that meets USCCE standards.
USA Football’s Youth Coach Certification follows the Football Development Model (FDM) to help coaches reach their players based on an athlete’s age, stage of development and football game type. Introduced in 2020, the FDM allows young athletes to learn the fundamentals of football and go through the game’s stages at a pace that suits them.
“This is an opportunity for the Steelers to support hardworking individuals at the sport’s grassroots level while providing youth football players with the best environments to enjoy the game,” said Steelers President ART ROONEY II. “We’re happy to partner with USA Football in the effort to educate youth coaches so that their players may have the best experiences possible.”
“The Steelers continue to generously open the door for thousands of Western Pa. children to have exceptional youth football experiences,” said USA Football CEO & Executive Director SCOTT HALLENBECK. “Through our best-in-class youth coach certification, coaches are prepared to deliver the fun of football and the social and physical benefits that come with it by being certified and ready to teach our country’s favorite sport. More than ever, our kids need the friendships and community that positive sports experiences can give them.”
Over the past decade, coaches in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and ten foreign countries across four continents have completed nearly one million USA Football Youth Coach Certifications. USA Football trains more youth football coaches than any organization in the United States.
About the Pittsburgh Steelers: The fifth-oldest franchise in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers were founded on July 8, 1933, by Arthur Joseph Rooney. Pittsburgh is among the most successful franchises in League history. The Steelers have won six Super Bowl titles, tied for the most in the NFL, and appeared in eight overall. Pittsburgh has also participated in 16 conference title games and hosted 11 – both, of which, are the most of any franchise in the League. The Steelers have had 33 former players, coaches or contributors inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
About USA Football: USA Football designs and delivers premier educational, developmental, and competitive programs to advance and grow the sport. As the sport’s national governing body, member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and organizer of the U.S. National Team for international competition, USA Football partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experiences for youth, high school and other amateur players.