CoachSafely
The CoachSafely Foundation, based in Birmingham, AL, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed to mitigate the youth sports injury epidemic, as defined by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; to research and advocate for best practices and policies that prevent youth sports injuries; and to educate youth coaches and promote their role in helping athletes aged 14 and under stay active, healthy and safe through their participation in youth sports.
The Course
The course is comprehensive, policy-driven, evidence-based, and peer-reviewed. It includes nine subject areas: Coaching the Youth Athlete, Mental Health, Communicable and Infectious Diseases, Concussions, Overuse Injuries, Conditions Unique to Youth Athletes, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, Emergencies in Athletics, and Emergency Preparedness.
Training is offered online or in-person and takes approximately ninety minutes to complete. The course may be completed at the user’s pace.
ARPA CoachSafely Initiative
In 2019, CoachSafely partnered with the Alabama Recreation and Parks Foundation (ARPF) to deliver the course to youth coaches through the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA), which has 93 agency and community members in cities and towns throughout the state.
The law requires every volunteer coach of children ages 14 and younger in the state that coaches a “high-risk youth athletics activity where there is a likelihood that a child or youth can sustain a serious injury,” to complete this course in youth sports injury recognition and prevention. The course is provided at no cost through the ARPA.
“Sports safety for the youth in our communities is of the utmost importance. Through the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association, we are here to deliver that education to coaches of athletes age 14 and under as we strive to make the recreational sports environments, in which our youth are participating, as safe and injury-free as possible.”
— Natalie Norman, Executive Director, Alabama Recreation and Parks Association
To learn more about CoachSafely, the CoachSafely Act (AL Code 2018-496), or to inquire about training for volunteer coaches in your parks and recreation programs, please contact Natalie Norman at nnorman@arpaonline.org.