A football report by the Associated Press in late March had nothing to do with the Super Bowl, College Football Playoff or a blockbuster NFL trade. However, in our eyes, it may be football’s most important news in decades with immense, lasting benefits for kids who play the sport.
On March 31, the AP reported that independent non-profit USA Football — the sport’s national governing body and a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee — announced eight recommendations for youth tackle football play. This bold, forward-thinking direction has already earned powerful endorsements from four leading sports medicine and health care associations: the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the National Youth Sports Health and Safety Institute, and the Sports Neuropsychology Society.
As volunteer members of the Football Development Model Council led by USA Football, we attest to the vast significance of these recommendations. They address practice-specific training by age-band, the prohibiting of select drills, use of the two-point stance, preseason and regular season practice contact guidelines, and other vitally important topics. All eight recommendations with corresponding rationale are accessible for youth leagues and volunteer coaches to adopt and implement this season at no cost.
Viewed through a sport science prism, every sport can embrace and harness the power of science, research and a reimagined…
