Bill Belichick’s name is synonymous with football intelligence. Along with success on the field, the New England Patriots coach is focused on player safety as well.
So when USA Football, The Bill Belichick Foundation and Safety Tag launched the inaugural 2016 Masconomet youth football season with a safety clinic in Boxford, Mass., coaches, players and cheerleaders were given complimentary Safety Tag accounts.
Safety Tag, a mobile platform, is a health information hub that parents can use to easily tag health information, emergency contacts and emergency action plans for their children.
“Having Safety Tag technology in place will allow us to understand, track, and get a handle on the injuries our players incur as well as all of the paperwork and requirements we have as coaches,” Brain Hubbard, President of Masconomet Youth Football, said in a statement. “We are a volunteer organization and anything we can do to put our players’ safety first and make it easier on our coaches and parents to communicate with one another will result in better football and safer football. That’s what we are all about.”
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Safety across the game of football has received extra attention as of late. The event brought more than 180 MASCO players from grades 3-8 who were given hands-on instruction from USA Football Master Trainers on Heads Up Blocking and Tackling techniques.
The instructions were used to teach youth athletes the correct posture and movements to prevent injuries, an issue that the game of football has been battling for years.
While the kids were perfecting their form, parents also received instructions on concussion protocol, heat and hydration and proper equipment fitting.
The Belichick Foundation first partnered with Safety Tag in August 2015. Safety Tag’s biggest selling point was the timeliness in updating and accessing information.
With on-the-go availability, parents can upload important health details as soon as they change.
Although concussions have dominated the headlines, it is an apparent reality that 14 percent of kids 5-18 years old have a chronic illness such as asthma, allergies, diabetes and previous concussion histories.
Of course, the main selling point for Belichick was paving a safe future for youth athletes who are interested in the game of football.
“Safety on the field is critical in the world of youth sports, where there often isn’t a team doctor or group of trainers like there is in the NFL,” Belichick said in a statement. “Timely access to information can make a big difference. The focus fits right in line with the mission of our foundation, and enables us to impact the game of football where it is played. We’re proud to help roll out Safety Tag’s innovative technology to sports programs that will benefit from it.”