Photo by Sam Chandler.
The Vestavia Hills Parks and Recreation Department, which oversees youth sports in the city, adopted a safety policy in November 2018 after the Coach Safety Act law took effect Nov. 4.
In order to combat injuries in youth sports, a new Alabama law mandates each city in the state offer sports safety training to youth coaches and volunteers.
On Dec. 17, the city of Vestavia Hills passed an ordinance partnering with the Coach Safely Foundation, which successfully lobbied for the law, in order to offer that training to coaches and volunteers.
The city’s parks and recreation department, which oversees youth sports in the city, adopted a similar policy in November 2018 after the Coach Safety Act law took effect Nov. 4. The partnership with the Coach Safely Foundation will offer a “uniform way of teaching” about preventing and recognizing injuries, council member and youth coach Rusty Weaver said.
“I think [dealing with injuries] should be the most important thing for every coach,” Weaver said.
As a whole, Weaver said he believes youth sports are safer now than before, in part because of recognition and new practices, such as teaching football players to tackle in a way that removes their head from the collision area.
In a statement after the council passed the ordinance, Weaver said he was proud to be part of a city that saw the importance of such a partnership.
“I am proud to be a part of a community that values safety education for the coaches and other people involved in our youth sports programs,” Weaver said. “... The emotional, financial and time commitment parents make to allow their kids to be involved in youth sports is significant. Sometimes the slightest deterrent can lead to a ‘no’ when it comes to the decision on participation. If we as city leaders and youth coaches allow misinformation or a lack of education of coaches to be that deterrent, then we have failed the kids of our community and their families.
“The Coach Safely Training Course will be the nationwide norm one day, and Vestavia Hills will have been at the forefront of taking a proactive approach to not only preserving the youth sports experience, but enhancing it,” Weaver said.
The Coach Safely Foundation is a nonprofit based in Montgomery that seeks to provide training to every youth sports coach. The safety training course was piloted in the city of Trussville by Drew Peterson, former Alabama Recreation and Park Association president.
“The program we piloted for the city of Trussville is instrumental in creating a safe, but competitive environment for the children of Trussville,” Peterson said. “Parents all over the country will feel comfort sending their child to practice or games when they know their coach has been through this program.”
Dr. James Andrews, a renowned sports medicine specialist and Auburn team physician, said young athletes are more vulnerable to injuries than adults.
“There is a myth that children are less vulnerable to sports injuries,” Andrews said in a press release. “The truth is young athletes are more vulnerable to injury than adults because of open growth plates and developing bones and joints. Also, most concussions occur in the youth because of young, developing brains. The medical science for athletes age 14 and under is a specialty of its own.”
Vestavia is the first municipality to meet with the Coach Safely Foundation and offer a partnership. Courses will be delivered through membership in the Alabama Recreation and Park Association, with memberships becoming available on the ARPA website by the first of the year for every level of sports association in the state.
For now, Weaver said classes will be online, but going forward, there may be opportunities for live instruction.