Parents of Young Athletes | Injury Prevention

“I’m a mom with children who love sports. I love sports, too, because it keeps them healthy and active and teaches them great life lessons, but I worry about them getting hurt. How do I know that their coaches know how to keep them safe? CoachSafely. I call it the right thing to do.”

- Margaret White, Alabama Power Foundation

THE DANGERS OF YOUTH SPORTS

As a parent of a young athlete, you know first-hand the benefits of recreational sports. You also know the dangers, whether it’s an injury, bullying from other kids or bad behavior by fellow parents and coaches.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 3.5 million medical visits are tied to youth sports injuries annually. Coupled with a reported 20 million annual school absences related to those injuries and a growing list of personal injury claims, youth sports has seen a major drop in participation.

However, the CDC says that 50 percent of youth sports injuries are preventable through education and awareness.

THE COACHSAFELY^® SOLUTION

CoachSafely is a safety policy and education solution created in 2015 to identify and rectify gaps in youth sports programming through comprehensive education that empowers parents and coaches to make the best decisions for their young athletes.

The Coach Safely Act is a law requiring all government or sub-government agencies in Alabama related to youth sports to train their coaches in injury recognition and prevention, ensuring that signs of injury are acknowledged and handled swiftly and properly.

Partnerships with Community-Based Organizations

All members of the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) are encouraged to register and maintain reports on all coaches of athletes aged 14 and younger.

By partnering with the CoachSafely Foundation, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) receive discounting and joint-funding initiatives for CoachSafely coach certification. The CoachSafely course can be delivered online or in a classroom to members of the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association.

For underserved communities, grant programs to fund CoachSafely certifications are available. Please contact info@coachsafely.org for more information about our grant program application.

URGE MORE FROM YOUR CHILD’S COACH

According to the National Council of Youth Sports, more than 45 million children aged 14 and under participate in recreational sports. The Alabama Recreation and Parks Association estimates the number of youth coaches in Alabama at 60,000 and growing.

As a parent of a child participating in youth sports, it’s crucial that you urge the coaches of your young athlete to be CoachSafely certified. Once certified, they’ll be able to address any signs of injury before, during and after recreation.

You wouldn’t leave your child at a pool without a lifeguard. Why would you drop them off at a practice with a coach who isn’t trained to keep them safe?