Sign of the times New York Times Article

Youth Tackle Program Is Being Eliminated in a Football Hotbed- New York Times


By KEN BELSONFEB. 3, 2016


There will be less tackle football in Marshall, Tex., once a football hotbed that competed for high school state championships, produced N.F.L. players like Y.A. Tittle and appeared in the book “Friday Night Lights.”

The Boys & Girls Club in the East Texas town of 24,000 announced this week that it was ending its tackle football program because of the long-term dangers associated with the sport. In its place, the club will expand its popular flag football program.

The decision comes less than two years after the town’s school district, citing safety and financial concerns, dropped seventh-grade tackle football, an important entry-level program. The move was highlighted in an article in The New York Times in 2014 on growing awareness of perils in the sport.

The Boys & Girls Club had taught players the Heads Up Tackling method, which emphasizes lifting the head rather than drilling it into an opponent; put its coaches through training to detect concussions; and gave its referees the autonomy to pull players from a game if they suspected they had suffered a head injury.

Ultimately, though, the board of the club decided that the potential for head trauma in the young players, coupled with the legal exposure and high cost of running the program, was no longer worth it. They voted, 18-to-2, with one abstention, to end the tackle football program, which had about 75 players.

Pop Warner shut down in Marshall six years ago. For five years, the Boys & Girls Club was the only youth tackle program in town. Tackle football is still available in eighth grade and high school.

In nearby towns, two independent youth leagues offering tackle football have sprung up in the last year, but it is unclear how many Marshall players they have drawn.

“Football is still a great sport,” said Bryan Partee, the executive director of the club and the son of Dennis Partee, a kicker for the San Diego Chargers in the 1960s and 1970s. “But at the Boys & Girls Club, we have to decide how to best take care of our kids.”

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Originally Posted by Rabid Cougar

Youth Tackle Program Is Being Eliminated in a Football Hotbed- New York Times


By KEN BELSONFEB. 3, 2016


There will be less tackle football in Marshall, Tex., once a football hotbed that competed for high school state championships, produced N.F.L. players like Y.A. Tittle and appeared in the book “Friday Night Lights.”

The Boys & Girls Club in the East Texas town of 24,000 announced this week that it was ending its tackle football program because of the long-term dangers associated with the sport. In its place, the club will expand its popular flag football program.

The decision comes less than two years after the town’s school district, citing safety and financial concerns, dropped seventh-grade tackle football, an important entry-level program. The move was highlighted in an article in The New York Times in 2014 on growing awareness of perils in the sport.

The Boys & Girls Club had taught players the Heads Up Tackling method, which emphasizes lifting the head rather than drilling it into an opponent; put its coaches through training to detect concussions; and gave its referees the autonomy to pull players from a game if they suspected they had suffered a head injury.

Ultimately, though, the board of the club decided that the potential for head trauma in the young players, coupled with the legal exposure and high cost of running the program, was no longer worth it. They voted, 18-to-2, with one abstention, to end the tackle football program, which had about 75 players.

Pop Warner shut down in Marshall six years ago. For five years, the Boys & Girls Club was the only youth tackle program in town. Tackle football is still available in eighth grade and high school.

In nearby towns, two independent youth leagues offering tackle football have sprung up in the last year, but it is unclear how many Marshall players they have drawn.

“Football is still a great sport,” said Bryan Partee, the executive director of the club and the son of Dennis Partee, a kicker for the San Diego Chargers in the 1960s and 1970s. “But at the Boys & Girls Club, we have to decide how to best take care of our kids.”

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.....Greendawg's fault!.....

All I know. There is now proven science that shows repeated head blows/concussions causes brain injury later in life. And, now with them starting these tackle programs younger and younger, about time someone wised up. And, regards to this year around (IE: Friday Night Tykes) youth football programs, that will be another good place to regulate. Just imagine all the head blows today's youth are sustaining over how many those they detected with brain injury from the NFL, that had donated their brain for research. I'm not totally against youth tackling leagues, but---I am against year around leagues of any sport. Too much, without recovery IMO.

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Originally Posted by YTBulldogs

All I know. There is now proven science that shows repeated head blows/concussions causes brain injury later in life. And, now with them starting these tackle programs younger and younger, about time someone wised up. And, regards to this year around (IE: Friday Night Tykes) youth football programs, that will be another good place to regulate. Just imagine all the head blows today's youth are sustaining over how many those they detected with brain injury from the NFL, that had donated their brain for research. I'm not totally against youth tackling leagues, but---I am against year around leagues of any sport. Too much, without recovery IMO.

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I agree with everything you just said. Hell, even the pros don't go year around. why would it be good for an 11 year old?

Baseball is the culprit for year around.

Concussions???? I would lay odds that of the pros that donated their brains, 95 percent of the damage occurred in college and the pros. I played college and was involved in hellacious hits for three years.( 12th man Kick off Team). Practices were the worse. I seldom if ever had the same type of contact in high school and junior high. I know that they do occur in HS but it's 10 times worse at the next level.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/0...?intcmp=hplnws

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Originally Posted by coach

I agree with everything you just said. Hell, even the pros don't go year around. why would it be good for an 11 year old?

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I run our Youth League that LH plays in and we do not do spring Football or play the long drawn out seasons.

We give kids about 7 regular season games, 1 bowl/semi final (top 4 seeds) Then a Championship for those who advance. We only allow kids to play a maximum of 9 games and only run 7 minute quarters. Just enough to give the kids a great experience and leave them hungry for more when it ends. We send them to play Basketball, wrestle, baseball, track, 7on7, etc. Then back at it in August. This is how it should be.

To many of these youth leagues that are wrapped up into going to National championships in Florida. This is way to long of a tackle season for kids. We play our first season game August 27th, off Labor Day Weekend, and the last game October 15th, bowls and semis on Oct 22nd and the championships on October 29th. Done before November (barring rain outs).

I believe that we have it figured out for the young players, I dare say there isnt a youth league around that does it better than Hill Country Youth Football League (HCYFL) (www.hillcountryyfl.com)

I know brain development is in it's critical period during this youth time period. Just allow proper recovery time is all I'm asking. Stop year around playing.