Aug 17, 2019 3 min read

When Bill Spencer took over as the director of the Washington-Greene Youth Football League in 2013, a newly created mission statement followed.

One of the missions was to promote safety and well-being first with proper coaching and supervision. Another was to acquaint participants with the fundamentals with football.

The league, this year consisting of 97 teams and more than 500 coaches and 2,300 players, will dive deeper into enjoying the game and keeping players safe after being one of six youth football programs across the nation selected to pilot USA Football’s Football Development Model. The Niagara Erie Youth Sports Association, the Miami Xtreme Youth Football League, Texas’ Frisco Football League, the Iowa Development League and Utah’s Ute Football Conference will also pilot program.

The program is aimed to experiment with new ways to coach fundamentals, hone skills and cut down on full-speed contact. It also encourages leagues to experiment football in different varieties, including flag football, padded flag football and games on smaller fields with less players.

“When I took over in 2013, it was the height of the concussion scare,” Spencer said. “It wasn’t like in 1975-1980 when I played. We tried to implement things to make it safer. We want people to feel safe to put their child on the field to practice and play.”

Participation in the league, which now spans to five counties, hasn’t been a problem. But Spencer believes those numbers could increase even more if the push for safety remains paramount.

“All of the coaches in our league are certified,” he said. “We are putting all safety measures into play. The number one priority is to teach the game of football in a safe manner.”

According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, more than one miller children from ages six to 12 played tackle football each year from 2011 to 2013. That participation fell to 839,282 in 2018, while the growth of flag football increased from fewer than 700,000 in 2014 to nearly one million in 2018.

A council of people with expertise in football, medical and child development helped create the program.

“We’re looking at football in a fresh, new way,” USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck said in an interview with the Associated Press. “These leagues around the country are willing to take on this challenge with us to change the narrative and culture of the game, which is easy to say and hard to do.”

The Washington-Greene league began its season Saturday and the pilot program will primarily be focused on gathering data for the first year, according to Spencer. The league, however, will not change as a whole.

“We aren’t asked to change our league but want to work with (USA Football),” Spencer said. “Maybe this could help us make some changes, adapt the game and get more kids out. We have worked with USA Football with its Heads Up football program. Our goal is to get and keep these kids involved until they get into middle school and eventually high school.”