YOUTH What is Heads Up Ftball? Heads Up Ftball is a USA Ftball rganizatinal membership prgram designed t create a better, safer game. Key cmpnents f this prgram include caches cmpleting the nly natinally accredited, ftball-specific certificatin curse and training in cncussin recgnitin and respnse; Heads Up Tackling; Heads Up Blcking; equipment fitting; sudden cardiac arrest; and heat preparedness and hydratin. Members f USA Ftball s Medical Advisry Cmmittee and Tackle Advisry Cmmittee as well as cntent frm the Centers fr Disease Cntrl and Preventin (CDC) helped guide USA Ftball in the creatin f the Heads Up Ftball prgram and its curriculum. What are the benefits f a yuth ftball rganizatin adpting Heads Up Ftball? Participating rganizatins caches, players and parents will be instructed in Heads Up Ftball thrugh in-persn and nline training using a train-the-trainer mdel. After selecting a Player Safety Cach, this persn will be trained in-persn by USA Ftball and will be respnsible fr bringing Heads Up Ftball back t the rganizatin and its members thrugh a prepared curriculum. The benefits include: Cmfrt in knwing that yur rganizatin is taking a practive apprach t player health and safety. Cnfidently answer parents questins abut the steps yu are taking t make the game better and safer fr their children. Bring the credibility f a natinal safety prgram that is endrsed at every level f ftball t yur rganizatin. Impart unifrm caching educatin fr all caches and give them nline resurces t assist with practice planning and imprving hw t teach fundamentals. All caches wh cmplete the certificatin receive $1 millin f general liability caching insurance. Ensure all caches are teaching essential ftball fundamentals, including tackling and blcking, resulting in greater player develpment.
What is a Player Safety Cach (PSC)? Each rganizatin selects ne PSC. Alng with the cmmissiner, the PSC is respnsible fr verseeing the rganizatin s implementatin f Heads Up Ftball. A PSC attends a ne-day training clinic with USA Ftball, ensures all caches are certified, hlds inpersn clinics fr head caches, attends practices and games and serves as the rganizatin s expert and pint f cntact fr player health and safety. USA Ftball recmmends a PSC des nt have team caching respnsibility. This psitin s prfile melds the rles f caching mentr and parent liaisn, specifically fr Heads Up Tackling, Heads Up Blcking and ther player safety matters. What are the requirements f a Heads Up Ftball prgram? Each rganizatin must register fr the prgram nline and agree t the Terms & Cnditins. Nminate the right persn t be the Player Safety Cach (PSC). Player Safety Cach must cmplete the fllwing respnsibilities: Becme certified by USA Ftball s Level 1 Cach Certificatin (Deadline: Labr Day). Attend a ne-day, in-persn USA Ftball Player Safety Cach training clinic annually (Deadline: Aug. 16). Cnduct a Heads Up Caches clinic fr all head caches. Cnduct a Heads Up Parent Meeting fr all parents and players. Mentr caches, players and parents in elements f Heads Up Ftball in-seasn by attending practices and games. All caches (head and assistant) register fr a USA Ftball Cach Membership, which includes Level 1 certificatin curses and member resurces. All caches annually cmplete the Level 1 Cach Certificatin Curse r Recertificatin Quiz. Require each player s parent r legal guardian t execute a legally valid waiver and release naming USA Ftball as a released party and submit a sample waiver t USA Ftball. Maintain a minimum f $1 millin general liability and $25,000 accident and health insurance plicies, submitting a certificate f insurance t USA Ftball and naming USA Ftball as additinally insured. Hw much des Heads Up Ftball cst? Yuth ftball leagues $10 per cach (fr all head and assistant caches). This rate includes the certificatin curse caches are required t cmplete and nline Cach Membership resurces. There are n additinal csts fr PSCs t attend the inpersn clinic, materials received at the clinic r fr the Heads Up Ftball curriculum. The $10 fee per cach can be paid by caches themselves when they register fr the Cach Membership r by the league r its member clubs during the fall seasn via check r nline credit card payment. Hw des an rganizatin register fr Heads Up Ftball? An rganizatin s cmmissiner r president must becme a FREE USA Ftball Cmmissiner Member in rder t access the Heads Up Ftball prgram - http://usaftball.cm/cmmissiners. Once he/she becmes a USA Ftball Cmmissiner Member, an rganizatin s cmmissiner r president can then cmplete the nline registratin fr his/her rganizatin. Simply visit: http://usaftball.cm/headsup.
What happens after an rganizatin has registered nline fr Heads Up Ftball? The PSC shuld begin t take the fllwing steps: Register nline fr a cmplimentary USA Ftball Cach Membership. Cmplete the nline Level 1 Tackle Curse r Recertificatin Quiz. Register nline fr and attend an in-persn PSC Clinic run by USA Ftball. If an rganizatin is a league with clubs/assciatins under it, direct clubs t cmplete the nline registratin fr Heads Up Ftball and their nminated PSCs t cmplete Steps 1-3 as utlined abve. As an rganizatin mves frward in adpting the prgram, a USA Ftball Member Experience team member will cntact the Cmmissiner wh cmpleted the registratin t discuss best practices, utline next steps and answer any questins. What is the length f cmmitment fr Heads Up Ftball, and when des an rganizatin becme a participant? Heads Up Ftball is a calendar year-based prgram. An rganizatin is nly cnsidered a participant and achieves Heads Up Ftball cmpliance nce all requirements have been met. Each year an rganizatin wishes t participate in Heads Up Ftball, it must register nline and meet each requirement again in that year, regardless f participatin in previus years. Each league is required t be in gd standing, including having paid fr the previus year s cach memberships in full befre it can renew its Heads Up Ftball membership fr the current year. Hw des smene becme a PSC? All PSCs must be nminated by their rganizatins thrugh the Heads Up Ftball nline registratin. They becme PSCs when all f their requirements are met. Can an rganizatin have multiple PSCs? USA Ftball recgnizes ne Player Safety Cach per rganizatin. In sme cases, the day-t-day mnitring and implementatin f Heads Up Ftball can be a challenge fr just ne PSC. In these cases, USA Ftball recmmends that cmmissiners f large rganizatins internally designate ne r mre Assistant PSCs wh can supprt the primary PSC with the implementatin f the prgram. Assistant PSCs d nt attend the in-persn PSC Clinic run by USA Ftball. What are the characteristics f a quality PSC? An experienced, credible cach, bard member r fficial wh has earned the respect f caches and parents. Leadership qualities, specifically related t cmmunicating and interacting with caches, parents and players. Cmmitted t better, safer game with a willingness t learn, adpt and implement the Heads Up Ftball prgram. Strng reputatin as a rle mdel fr players. Can smene be a PSC fr multiple rganizatins? Because f the duties and expectatins f the psitin, a PSC can be respnsible fr nly ne rganizatin.
What is a PSC Clinic, where are they lcated and hw are these lcatins selected? A PSC Clinic is a full-day training led by a USA Ftball Master Trainer. Each Heads Up Ftball rganizatin s PSC is required t attend ne f the in-persn trainings in the current calendar year. PSC Clinics fcus n the technical materials cvering Heads Up Ftball; yur rle as a Player Safety Cach; cach certificatin; prper equipment fitting; cncussin recgnitin and respnse; heat preparedness and hydratin; sudden cardiac arrest, Heads Up Tackling and Heads Up Blcking. PSCs als learn best practices and jb respnsibilities. PSC Clinics are lcated thrughut the United States. Sites are determined based n the number f participating rganizatins in the area and the availability f facilities. Training cnsists f bth classrm and n-field sessins. Hw des a PSC register fr a PSC Clinic? PSCs register thrugh their USA Ftball memberships nline at usaftball.cm. Registering nline prir t the clinic is essential. Failure t d s can cause delays r failure fr the PSC s rganizatin t be recgnized as a Heads Up Ftball member. What if a PSC cannt attend a PSC Clinic? The PSC must attend a PSC Clinic. If the nminated PSC cannt attend a PSC Clinic, the rganizatin must nminate a new PSC wh can attend a PSC Clinic. Hw d caches meet the Cach Membership registratin and certificatin requirement? Organizatins receive Cach Membership prm cdes sn after registering fr Heads Up Ftball. After receiving the membership cde, rganizatins shuld distribute the cde t their caches. Each cach will register nline fr his r her wn USA Ftball Cach Membership and will be prmpted t enter the cde at checkut, which will prvide the apprpriate discunt. Using the cde als will link the cach t the rganizatin s cmmissiners can track when caches cmplete certificatin nline. After caches register fr their memberships, they will have access t the certificatin curses. Caches are certified upn cmpletin f the Level 1 Tackle Curse r Re- Certificatin Quiz in the current calendar year. D all caches have t be certified every year? Yes. All head and assistant caches are required t cmplete the Level 1 Tackle Certificatin annually. Caches wh cmpleted the Level 1 Tackle Curse in the past must nly cmplete the Level 1 Recertificatin Quiz. Hw can an rganizatin track which caches are certified this year? Organizatins track their caches as they register fr memberships and cmplete certificatin. This tracking ccurs nline at usaftball.cm within Cmmissiner and PSC memberships. When caches register with their rganizatin s membership cde, the rganizatin s cmmissiner and PSC have access t view caches certificatin prgress and dwnlad detailed reprts.
What is a Heads Up Head Caches Clinic? After attending the USA Ftball-led PSC Clinic, a PSC is respnsible fr running a Heads Up Head Caches Clinic fr all f the rganizatin s head caches. The purpse f the clinic is fr the PSC t train all head caches n the cre elements f Heads Up Ftball: cncussin recgnitin and respnse, equipment fitting, heat preparedness and hydratin educatin, sudden cardiac arrest, Heads Up Tackling and Heads Up Blcking. The clinic shuld be held prir t the first day f practice. This clinic shuld emphasize hands-n, physical demnstratins t supplement the nline training caches received in the certificatin curse. What is a Heads Up Parent Safety Meeting? In additin t the Heads Up Head Caches Clinic, a PSC is respnsible fr running a Heads Up Parent Safety Meeting fr the rganizatin s players and parents with the assistance f head and assistant caches. This meeting can be dne in cnjunctin with existing team meetings. The purpse f the clinic is fr the PSC t educate parents n the cre elements f Heads Up Ftball: cncussin recgnitin and respnse, equipment fitting, heat preparedness and hydratin educatin, sudden cardiac arrest, Heads Up Tackling and Heads Up Blcking. The clinic shuld be held prir t the first day f practice r, at the latest, prir t the first day f cntact drills. This clinic shuld emphasize hands-n, physical demnstratins. This clinic is an imprtant step in helping t change the culture f yuth ftball. By educating and invlving parents in the prcess, we can increase cmmunicatin and better mnitr ur yung players at all times.