“Sports safety for the youth in our communities is of the utmost importance. Through the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association, we are here to deliver that education to coaches of athletes age 14 and under as we strive to make the recreational sports environments, in which our youth are participating, as safe and injury-free as possible.”
— Natalie Norman, Executive Director, Alabama Recreation and Parks Association
A joint venture between the Alabama Recreation and Parks Foundation and the CoachSafely Foundation, initiated in 2019, to deliver the CoachSafely training course to youth coaches at no charge to them through the network of the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association membership.
Individuals actively involved in organizing, training or coaching sports activities for children aged 14 and under must complete a comprehensive course in injury recognition and prevention annually.
An intervention study of select school districts and ARPA members will collect data regarding suspected concussions and other injuries in athletes aged 14 and under using a real-time mobile platform to share with select stakeholders, such as school nurses, and to inform future policy decisions.