USA FOOTBALL’S AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT MODEL TO BE ADOPTED BY POP WARNER

USA Football’s ADM to strengthen the sport’s player pathway will be implemented by Pop Warner leagues nationwide

(Indianapolis) Pop Warner Little Scholars, the country’s oldest national youth football organization, will offer USA Football’s American Development Model (ADM) to its leagues nationwide in 2018. USA Football’s ADM offers a variety of entry points and options, empowering parents and young athletes to choose the best version of the sport for them.

Comprised of more than 200,000 young football players across the country, Pop Warner’s implementation of USA Football’s ADM offers leagues a progressive pathway and flexibility to play flag football; Rookie Tackle, a small-sided, modified version of the sport designed to bridge flag and tackle; and 11-player tackle football. This USA Football model, supported by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), fosters a foundation for greater enjoyment across the sport, focusing on skill development and positive experiences to advance exercise and physical literacy.

“This is exciting news for the millions of families and kids who comprise the youth football community,” USA Football CEO SCOTT HALLENBECK said. “I commend Pop Warner for its forward thinking to advance USA Football’s American Development Model across its programs. Football and the young athletes who play it will benefit from this decision for years to come.”

USA Football formally adopted the USOC’s ADM in 2017 and conducted a Rookie Tackle pilot season in select youth and school-based programs last fall. Added to flag and 11-player tackle, Rookie Tackle delivers a progression like a variety of other sports, including tee-ball to “coach pitch” to “player pitch” in baseball.

“We’ll never stop working to make this game safer for the young people who play it, and USA Football’s ADM is an important complement to the series of player safety changes Pop Warner has implemented over the last seven years,” Pop Warner Little Scholars Executive Director JON BUTLER said. “We fully embrace this common-sense approach to advancing players through our sport in a fun, dynamic way. We applaud USA Football for taking a leadership role with this important initiative.”