A Qualitative Study of Youth Football Coaches’ Perception of Concussion Safety in American Youth Football and Their Experiences With Implementing Tackling Interventions

Abstract

Due in part to concern about the potential long-term effects of concussion and repetitive head injuries in football, some programs have implemented tackling interventions. This paper explores youth football coaches’ perception of football safety and their experiences implementing these interventions aimed at athlete safety. Using a qualitative approach, coaches were interviewed by means of a semi-structured protocol that covered: (a) demographics; (b) background and experiences with contact sports; (c) perceived concussion risks and benefits of youth football; (d) experiences with tackling technique; (e) experiences with mouth guard sensors; and (f) personal sources of training related to football safety. Most coaches felt that learning tackling at a young age helped prepare them for their playing later in life and believed that youth should begin playing tackle football at a young age. Coaches were mixed regarding their concerns about the risk for concussion and subconcussive head impacts. Still, most were receptive to changes in rules and policies aimed at making football safer. Findings from this study demonstrate that youth football coaches are important stakeholders to consider when implementing changes to youth football. Understanding coach perceptions and experiences may inform future efforts aimed to educate coaches on rules and policies to make the game safer for youth athletes.

Neuropsychological Profiles of Athletes and Views of Parents Choosing Flag Versus Tackle Football Participation

“…This is important as flag football participation has increased over the past decade with the promotion of its safety as an alternative to tackle football, even as data on head impact exposure between tackle and flag football continue to be limited and contradictory, suggesting that each type of football has its own inherent risks. 10 , 12 , 13 , 16 , 17 , 20 While we do not have a league-specific injury pattern data that could affect participation enrollment in this study, we presumed that these patterns would correlate with national data. Furthermore, injury rates for most of the leagues that we recruited from have been described previously by Peterson et al 12 as our study recruited from the same locations.…”

“…Age limits to tackling have also been proposed, but youth football coaches have reported that learning tackling at a younger age better prepares athletes for playing later in life, as athletes can practice proper blocking and tackling techniques. 2,16 The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness have also discussed the potential costs of these age limits to tackling, including concern about lack of early exposure leading to greater severity of injuries when tackling is finally introduced. 5 Even with these national recommendations, there have been few studies examining tackle and flag football injuries in youth participants.…”