QUAD CITY THUNDER ADOPTING USA FOOTBALL’S HEADS UP FOOTBALL® PROGRAM FOR 2015 SEASON
- Dom Ferraro
- Mar 4, 2015
- 3 min read
The Quad City Thunder youth football club based in Westfield, Wisconsin, is committed to ensuring a positive youth football experience and advancing player safety this fall by providing program-wide coaching education and teaching resources that benefit players, parents, and coaches through USA Football’s Heads Up Football® program.
USA Football is the official youth development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams. Quad City Thunder includes pee-wee and junior pee-wee teams along with a cheerleading program serving players and cheerleaders in Westfield, Neshkoro, Oxford, and Coloma, Wisconsin. Detailed information about the Quad City Thunder program can be found on their new website at quadcitythunder.com.
All Quad City Thunder coaches will be trained in Heads Up Football® techniques before leading their teams this season. Quad City Thunder head coaches and assistant coaches will complete USA Football’s accredited Level 1 Coach Certification Course, which includes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concussion recognition and response protocols; proper helmet and shoulder pad fitting; heat and hydration information from the Korey Stringer Institute; and Heads Up TacklingSM techniques, which aim to take the head out of the line of contact.
Through Heads Up Football®, a designated Player Safety Coach will be trained by USA Football to implement, evaluate, and monitor Heads Up Football® player safety protocols within the organization. Player Safety Coaches work with league commissioners, coaches, parents, and players throughout the season to provide on-site clinics and mentoring to ensure that coaching and player safety best practices are used.
“Heads Up Football® promotes a safer, better game,” USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck said. “We are proud to have the Quad City Thunder join us in leading America’s youth football community through Heads Up Football®, helping to set the highest standards of player safety and coaching education in any youth sport.”
Adopted in 2015 by Quad City Thunder and by youth leagues on a national level, Heads Up Football requires six primary elements:
Heads Up Tackling
USA Football’s Heads Up Tackling technique, endorsed by medical and football experts, teaches players to keep their heads up and out of the line of contact.
Concussion recognition and response
Coaches learn and are assessed on CDC concussion recognition and response through USA Football’s Level 1 Coaching Certification Course.
Coaches, parents and players are taught concussion-related protocols at the start of the season at a league-wide clinic and have them reinforced throughout the season.
Coaching education
All coaches within a youth program are trained to teach the game’s fundamentals by completing USA Football’s nationally accredited Level 1 Coaching Certification Course.
Equipment fitting
Coaches, parents, and players are taught proper helmet and shoulder pad fitting.
Heat and hydration
Coaches, parents, and players learn heat and hydration safety measures provided by the University of Connecticut’s Korey Stringer Institute.
Player Safety Coach
Appointed by each participating Heads Up Football® youth organization. This individual ensures compliance with Heads Up Football’s player safety protocols, including coaching certification and conducting safety clinics for coaches, parents, and players.
USA Football’s Heads Up Tackling technique was developed with contributions from USA Football’s Tackle Advisory Committee, which includes Northwestern head coach PAT FITZGERALD, UCLA head coach JIM MORA, former NFL running back MERRIL HOGE, Miami Christopher Columbus High School head coach CHRIS MERRITT and sports psychologist DR. DAVID YUKELSON.
About USA Football: USA Football, the sport’s national governing body, leads the game’s development, inspires participation and ensures a better and safer experience for all youth, high school and other amateur players. The independent nonprofit is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, its 32 teams and the NFL Players Association. USA Football manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competitions and provides more than $1 million annually in equipment grants and youth league volunteer background check subsidies. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.
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