Youth initiatives
The NFL Foundation works with USA Football to teach children the fundamentals of playing football safely. To help do so, the Foundation gives grants to youth and high school football teams. [1]
Working with USA Football, the NFL Foundation also developed NFL FLag, a non-tackle version of football. [2] [3]
The NFL Foundation is also responsible for creating a program called FUNdamentals which introduces the game of football to kids who have never played the sport before. [4]
USA Football created Heads Up Football, in part funded by the NFL Foundation, to focus on improving several areas of football that relates to the safety of the players. This program teaches coaches better safety procedures and proper tackling drills. The NFL Foundation, as well as USA Football, have claimed that the program has helped reduce injuries by 76 percent and concussions by about 30 percent. However, research cited by the Foundation shows that Heads Up Football has shown no reduction of concussions and a significantly lower effect on injuries than claimed. [5]
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USA Football is the governing body of American football in the United States., the sole US member of the International Federation of American Football, and a recognized sports organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. It is an independent non-profit based in Indianapolis, Indiana whose mission includes designing and delivering premier educational, development, and competitive programs for American football, including tackle and flag football. USA Football is the only organization that selects and organizes U.S. national team in federation-sanctioned international competition. USA Football partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experience for youth, high school and other amateur players.
Christopher Robert Zorich is a former American football defensive tackle who played in college for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins. Zorich was the athletic director at Chicago State University from May 2018 to July 2019.
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