USA Football Launches Enhanced Coach Certification

INDIANAPOLIS – While USA Football and youth football leagues follow direction from public health and government leaders to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, parents and children nationwide hope for a safe return to play this fall.

USA Football’s Youth Coach Certification, nationally accredited by the United States Center for Coaching Excellence, is a leading 21st century standard across grassroots levels of America’s favorite sport.

Bolstered with new improvements for 2020, USA Football’s youth coach certification is now available nationwide for coaches of children who love the fun, fitness and friends gained through football.

SALAMANCA FOOTBALL COMMITTED TO COACH EDUCATION

“While we fight COVID-19 as a country and follow the lead of our public health and government leaders, all of us in youth sports hope to return to our fields, rinks, courts and diamonds soon,” said USA Football CEO & Executive Director SCOTT HALLENBECK. “And when we do, our expanded coach certification will play a vital role preparing dedicated football coaches with enhanced educational content founded on age-appropriateness and skill-progression that will lead to safer play, more fun and an overall better experience for their players.”

USA Football is the sport’s national governing body and a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). More than 700,000 coach certifications have been completed through USA Football since 2012, spanning all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and 10 foreign countries across four continents.

“USA Football’s coach certification for 2020 is what next-generation youth coaching looks like,” said TeachAids Founder and CEO DR. PIYA C. SORCAR. “TeachAids is excited to deliver the certification’s concussion education through our CrashCourse module. This is another example of football – USA Football in particular – taking the lead to make sports safer and smarter for our kids and it starts with education through a nationally accredited, compelling certification.”

“By seeking accreditation through the USCCE’s National Committee for Accreditation of Coach Education, USA Football has shown that it is positioning itself as a leader in coach education,” the U.S. CENTER FOR COACHING EXCELLENCE announced. “Through the accreditation process, USA Football mapped its coach education program to SHAPE America’s National Standards for Sport Coaches demonstrating their commitment to training adults who can make youth football a positive, healthy and enjoyable sport experience for all athletes.”

The enhanced curriculum includes improved courses and bonus resources aligned with USA Football’s Football Development Model to help coaches develop the whole athlete based on a child’s age and stage of development. The Football Development Model, introduced nationally in February 2020, aligns with the USOPC’s American Development Model for healthier and smarter youth sport participation.