Does your child play football…which means you are a football parent? Do you coach football or know someone who does? If any of these descriptions are related to you, then you can’t miss out on the must-have information about Heads Up Football. Check out this video for a little summary:
Heads Up Football is and health and safety program created by USA Football to advance player safety in the game of football. The program provides valuable resources to parents, players, and coaches. There are 7 pillars to Heads Up Football:
- Coaching Education
- Equipment fitting
- Concussions,
- Sudden Cardiac
- Heads Up Tackling
- Heads Up Blocking
- Heat & Hydration
USA Football partnered with numerous nationally recognized safety experts to develop these resources. Experts include the Center of Disease Control, National Athletic Training Association, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, and the Korey Stringer Institute just to name a few.
The Role of the Football Parent
USA Football recognizes the important role parents play in athlete safety and made parent and player membership free. There are no trade secrets when it comes to player health and safety. People are starting to recognize the Heads Up Football brand either through commercials, social media, or word of mouth. Everyone needs to know that Tackling is only one pillar of the program.
The Role of the Football Coach
Organizations that sign up for Heads Up Football are required to make every coach take USA Football Level 1 Certification that covers all 6 pillars of Heads Up Football and includes other competencies. While the final 2015 numbers have not been updated yet, 2014 had over 5,500 organizations including over 100,000 coaches taking USA Football’s level 1 course.
When organizations sign up for Heads Up Football it costs them $10 per coach. This includes Level 1 course, access to online coaching resources, and coaching insurance.
What to do Next
What does this mean to you and I as parents?
Ask yourself 2 questions.. Who taught your youth coach how to coach? What makes them qualified to coach?
These two questions have nothing to do with winning. They have to do with player health and safety. Regardless of the sport your child is involved in. An unqualified and/or uneducated coach increases the chances you child will suffer an injury. While no coach can ever make a sport or activity safe. They have a responsibility to make it safer.
Please visit USAFootball.com for more information or contact Michael Haynes, Manager of Heads Up Football to answer any questions you may have. [email protected] or twitter @mhaynesmt
