USA FOOTBALL LAUNCHES LEAGUE EXCELLENCE PROGRAM FOR YOUTH FOOTBALL ORGANIZATIONS NATIONWIDE
INDIANAPOLIS – USA Football announced today the launch of its League Excellence Program, a way for youth football organizations nationwide to earn recognition and support for high operational standards to provide premier youth sports experiences for athletes and their families.
Comprised of three tiers (Bronze, Silver and Gold), organizations unlock the program’s benefits of increased recognition and support by meeting or exceeding the requirements of each level. Benefits range from marketing templates and tools to reward kits and personal sessions with USA Football subject matter experts.
“So many youth football organizations do great things for the good of kids and families in their community – they should be recognized and rewarded for this,” said USA Football CEO & Executive Director SCOTT HALLENBECK. “More importantly, organizations that excel in our League Excellence Program put kids first by creating an optimal environment for them to learn, thrive and grow through the ultimate team sport.”
The first step for any organization toward qualifying for the League Excellence Program is to enroll with USA Football, which is free of cost at usafootball.com/enroll. Once enrolled, the organization’s coaches who engage in regular contact with athletes are to complete the USA Football Youth Coach Certification before participating in team activities. Once all of the organization’s coaches complete certification, it will be invited to verify requirements met to determine its recognition level (Bronze, Silver or Gold) within the League Excellence Program. Verification requirements for all three levels reside here.
At a minimum, organizations that seek Bronze Level recognition are required to: (1) enroll with USA Football; (2) get 100 percent of their coaches certified; and (3) satisfy the insurance requirement it committed to upon enrollment.
Organizations that aspire to achieve Silver or Gold status must meet or exceed additional requirements such as offering multiple Game Types, conducting coach background checks and utilizing USA Football’s Youth Practice Guidelines and Levels of Contact, among others. Requirements and benefits of each level are found here.
Organizations have until September 15 (2021) to earn their recognition, and the benefit packages expire six months after the organization’s achievement date.
More about the League Excellence Program can be found at usafootball.com/excellence. Organizations also are encouraged to reach out to their respective USA Football Regional Manager to help achieve program recognition.
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, a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the United States’ sole delegate to the International Federation of American Football, USA Football assembles and directs U.S. National Teams for international competition. The independent non-profit also partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experiences for youth, high school and other amateur players. Visit usafootball.com to learn more.