HR 103

WHEREAS, Nationwide, over 2.5 million players, coaches, cheerleaders, and parent volunteers participate in youth football; and

WHEREAS, Youth football promotes the values of teamwork, self-discipline, diversity, academics, nutrition, leadership, and acceptance; and

WHEREAS, Youth football promotes an active lifestyle that helps combat obesity rates in youth, which have increased by 300 percent over the past four decades and that lead to a broad range of health problems previously not seen until adulthood, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and elevated blood cholesterol levels; and

WHEREAS, Youth sports have become increasingly expensive due to the elimination of after-school sports programs and the proliferation of travel teams and tournament-centric scheduling, but youth football remains an affordable neighborhood-based sport that is accessible in every community in California, irrespective of socioeconomic status or geographic location; and

WHEREAS, Football is Californias most popular sport, and the safety and well-being of the players is youth footballs top priority; and

WHEREAS, Improvements in football safety equipment, such as custom mouthpieces, have helped to decrease the impacts of contact and to reduce the likelihood of concussions, and many organizations have prohibited tinted visors that prevent coaches and officials from having a clear view of a youths eyes, thereby preventing an initial evaluation for symptoms of a concussion; and

WHEREAS, Many youth football organizations have implemented policies requiring the annual or biannual recertification of all football helmets by the helmet manufacturer or by an independent third party and the replacement of helmets that are damaged or that do not meet the current safety standards or recertification requirements; and

WHEREAS, New helmet testing standards are being implemented in 2018 to ensure that each player is wearing the safest helmet possible, and manufacturers continue to advance helmet technology; and

WHEREAS, USA Football Heads-Up blocking and tackling techniques have become the nationwide standard for teaching blocking and tackling, and coaches are required to complete annual certification and continuing education in blocking and tackling techniques that emphasize the removal of the head from any blocking or tackling and that provide coaches with non-contact drills designed to reinforce this training; and

WHEREAS, Rule changes have been implemented in youth football that are designed to eliminate dangerous hits such as crackback blocks, horse-collar tackling, leading with the crown of the helmet, targeting, and late hits, which are now penalized and constitute grounds for an immediate ejection from the game; and

WHEREAS, The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Concussion Protocol Training has become standard for many youth football organizations and coaches in an attempt to minimize the risk of subconcussive blows and concussions for youth football players, and the training is designed to identify those players who exhibit symptoms of a concussion, to prescribe protocols for the immediate removal of those players from the game or practice, and to outline stringent return to play protocols that coaches, players, and parents must follow after a youth football player has received clearance from a medical doctor before that player is allowed to return to full participation; and

WHEREAS, Youth football organizations have implemented policies for concussion response, proper hydration, equipment fitting, and age and weight requirements; and

WHEREAS, California has passed several laws over the past few years that implement concussion protocols for 15 youth sports with participants in all age ranges; and

WHEREAS, California prohibits high school and middle school football teams from conducting more than two full-contact practices per week during the preseason and regular season, and California also prohibits the full-contact portion of a practice from exceeding 90 minutes in any single day and completely prohibits full-contact practice during the offseason; and

WHEREAS, The awareness of the possible injury risks associated with football are now widely-known and accepted by parents, players, coaches, officials, medical professionals, and the general public; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the decision to play youth football ultimately rests with the parents, after their thoughtful consideration of the risks and benefits, as to whether participation in youth football is in their childs best interest; and be it further

Resolved, That, through the accumulation of all of the items described above, the game of youth tackle football is safer now than it has ever been; and be it further

Resolved, That, in commending the benefits and contributions of youth football, the Assembly of the State of California recognizes August 2018 as Youth Football Safety Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.