NFL Commitment to Player Health and Safety A Letter from Commissioner Roger Goodell
September 14, 2016
Some of the greatest athletes in the world play football. Their ability to surprise and dazzle us with their talent—to lift our spirits—never ceases to amaze me. It’s why nearly 200 million people call themselves fans of the National Football League. Because on any given game day, something incredible is going to happen.
Our game, of course, is a contact sport. Fans love to see the action on the field, including the big hits. While we can never completely eliminate the risk of injury, we are always striving to make the game safer—for our professional athletes down to young athletes first learning how to play.
We’ve made important progress in health and safety. We’ve made safety-related rules changes, encouraged advancements in equipment, improved medical protocols and care and changed the way we teach the game. Rightfully, much of the public discussion is about concussions—how they happen, how they can be prevented and treated and what is known about their long-term impact. That is what I want to focus on here today.
The NFL has been a leader on health and safety in many ways, and we’ve made some real strides in recent years. But when it comes to addressing head injuries in our game, I’m not satisfied, and neither are the owners of the NFL’s 32 clubs. We can and will do better.
TVYFL was established in 1990 with five league teams and by the time the first league games started we had eight teams enthusiastically ready to compete. By the year 2000 we had increased our teams to fourteen and by 2010 we had expanded to twenty-five teams solid! We are growing at a strong and steady pace and we are excited with the progress and development of this league. If your organization is looking for a substantial league to help you develop your teams, coaches and members, TVYFL invites you to meet with our Board of Directors and League Representatives at our monthy meeting. Check out our "About Us" page to read more of who we are. The young people that we coach today are the athletes and leaders of tomorrow and we believe that the lessons we teach them today will have positive and profound effect on their lives in the near future and for the rest of their lives.
"All adults involved in a youth sport must understand that it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
The TVYFL is about teaching the children between ages 6 years of age to 14 years of age the fundamentals of football and cheer leading.
We place an emphasis on sportsmanship, responsibility, and most of all participation in a team sport and event. We require all teams to play all children on their team a minimum of 10 plays per game. Our goal is to feed the local high school's with game experienced players.
Like in life, honesty between parent and child in sports is always the best policy
Posted 12/15/2016 By Jon Buzby
While watching a Division I college basketball game a few years ago, my 10th-grade son asked that one question every parent dreads answering: “Dad, do you think I can play Division I basketball?”
Josh Huber, USA Football Regional Manager, speaks to TVYFL League Reps at the April meeting.
How your players practice is how they'll play come game day
USA Football provides coaches with tools and guidelines to help optimize player performance in practice as well as ensure practices are run efficiently and effectively.
Take a step toward making the game better and safer for your team by utilizing USA Football resources such as our Youth Practice Guidelines.
The USA Football Youth Practice Guidelines are the only youth practice guidelines endorsed by major medical organizations and the NFL.
By implementing these guidelines into your league, you are creating a better and safer environment for your players. Guidelines include information on:
- Heat acclimation
- Practice intensity and hydration
- Tactics to reduce the risk of injury
- Levels of contact
- Regular season practice limits
Download a copy of the Practice Guidelines at:
usafootball.com/practiceguidelines
| Trans Valley Youth Football League is focused 100% on player safety. Our partnership with Riddell in conjunction with their annual certification program confirms that committment |
