Study: coaching education can cut risk of football injuries

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A study released Monday concludes that youth football coaches who are educated in the sport make the game safer for players.

The Indianapolis-based Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention collected data from 2,108 football players ages 5 to 15 last fall. It found that players who competed for coaches who been trained in USA Football’s “Heads-Up Football” program were 34 percent less likely to get a concussion in practice and 29 percent less likely to get a concussion in a game.

The study was commissioned by USA Football, the sport’s national governing body.

Researchers also monitored blows to the head of 72 players ages 9 to 15. The organization monitored injuries of 100 teams in 10 youth leagues and four states.