Youth Football Organization Becomes First In Country To Ban Kickoffs
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Study: Football concussions and resuming play vary by age. The organization, which began in 1929 and has 225,000 athletes enrolled in football ages 5-15, said it will review the results of the rules change after next season as it considers implementing the same ban in older age divisions.
There are three area teams according to pikespeakpopwarner.com and 24 in Colorado. The area teams are the Colorado Springs Vikings, the Colorado Springs War Dogs and the Monument Blizzard. The organization, which began in 1929 and has 225,000 athletes enrolled in football ages 5-15, said it will review the results of the rules change after next season as it considers implementing the same ban in older age divisions. It is the first national football organization to ban kickoffs.
Gerry Strabala, recreation supervisor for Parks and Rec which is separate from Pop Warner, said the elimination of kickoffs had previously been considered for youth games in Colorado Springs, but no decision has been made. "We're looking into it," Strabala said Thursday. Pop Warner also announced a further reduction in contact time during practice, meaning the players will not be hitting, blocking or tackling each other as much. The 33 percent rule that was implemented in 2012 is being lowered, to 25 percent, for all divisions.
"We are constantly working to make the game safer and better for our young athletes, and we think this move is an important step in that direction," said Jon Butler, Pop Warner's executive director. "Eliminating kickoffs at this level adds another layer of safety without changing the nature of this great game."
The NFL has wrestled with kickoffs as well in hopes of reducing high-speed collisions by players that can lead to injuries. In 2011, kickoffs were moved from the 30 to the 35-yard line, dramatically increasing the number of touchbacks, where the ball was not returned by the receiving team. Earlier this year, the NFL approved a one-year trial in which the ball will be placed at the 25-yard line after touchbacks on kickoffs instead of at the 20, added incentive for the receiving team.
The Pop Warner moves come about a month after the organization settled a lawsuit brought by a Wisconsin woman who alleged her 25-year-old son's suicide in 2012 resulted from brain injuries he suffered while playing youth football.
The federal lawsuit alleged Joseph Chernach suffered from a degenerative brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy and had post-concussion syndrome. The suit alleged the conditions were caused by playing in a Pop Warner league from 1997-2000, beginning when he was 11.
In 2010, Pop Warner implemented a youth sport concussion policy that said any player removed from a practice or game due to a head injury may not return until evaluated and cleared by a licensed medical professional. Two years later, Pop Warner banned full-speed, head-on blocking and tackling drills in which players are lined up more than three yards apart.
The organization has a total enrollment of 325,000 including football cheer and dance, and its enrollment number of 225,000 in football has been flat since 2012.