USA FOOTBALL AND STOP IT NOW! KEEP CHILDREN SAFE FROM SEXUAL ABUSE
INDIANAPOLIS – USA Football, the sport’s national governing body and a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, is partnering with Stop It Now!, a leader in the prevention of child sexual abuse, within its nationally accredited youth football coach certification curriculum.
Devoted to children’s well-being, the partnership delivers prevention-based training and resources to support America’s youth football family. Approximately 100,000 youth football coaches complete USA Football’s nationally accredited coach certification each year. Stop It Now! training will become part of the USA Football curriculum, offered through videos, webinars, and live workshops beginning this winter.
Stop It Now! prevents the sexual abuse of children by mobilizing adults, families, and communities to take actions protecting children before they are harmed. Its training provides informed approaches to create healthy and safe environments for youth.
“It is imperative for us to continually improve our education and teachings on behalf of our kids by gaining the knowledge and resources of an industry leader like Stop It Now!,” said USA Football Senior Director of Education MICHAEL KRUEGER, Ed.S., CMAA. “Advancing young athletes’ well-being across our sport is our North Star, and we are pleased to do this in tandem with Stop it Now!.”
“Stop It Now! is thrilled to partner with USA Football as they lead by example for how organizations can proactively protect children,” said Stop It Now! Director JENNY COLEMAN, LMHC. “Children have a right to live, grow and play free from abuse. Through trainings and support, we will equip coaches to create safe environments and interrupt concerning behaviors before a child is sexually harmed. And with most coaches being parents, the lessons learned here will positively impact homes, schools and communities nationwide.”
USA Football’s accredited coach certification also addresses developmentally appropriate play through its Football Development Model; head, heart, and heat lessons; and the teaching of football fundamentals through forward-thinking techniques of blocking and tackling. USA Football was the first national governing body of sport to earn the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s Youth Sport Safety Ambassador Award in 2016 for its commitment to young athletes’ health and welfare.
USA Football stands among America’s national governing bodies of sport and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee member organizations that endorse the Children’s Bill of Rights in Sports, drafted by the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program. This document calls for safe and healthy environments for children, providing settings free from all forms of abuse (physical, emotional, sexual), hazing, violence, and neglect.
About Stop It Now!: Stop It Now! is a nonprofit organization committed to preventing child sexual abuse. Since their founding in 1992, they have equipped adults to prevent child sexual abuse through innovative programming based on a public health model. Today, they are a leading expert on building awareness of the scope of sexual abuse, developing and widely distributing prevention tools, and advocating for both compassion and accountability.
About USA Football: USA Football designs and delivers premier educational, developmental, and competitive programs to advance, unify and grow the sport. As the sport’s national governing body, member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic 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.