For the fifth consecutive year, the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the USA Football's Kansas City Leadership Forum to promote the Heads Up initiative which educates coaches, adults and players on techniques to strengthen player safety.
USA Football is the sport's national governing body on youth and amateur levels and is the Chiefs official youth football development partner.
"The annual state forum is an important step as we join together with USA Football on the Heads Up initiative to promote sports safety in our community," Chuck Castellano, Chiefs Community Relations Manager noted.
The forum was an idea exchange between youth football programs and USA Football, sharing some of the best practices and providing resources to help promote safety in the sport.
Chiefs Ambassador Anthony Davis kicked off the event by discussing his experiences and emphasizing the importance of football safety.
"We need, as coaches and administrators, to ensure we are doing everything possible to keep our game safe," Davis commented. "Parents are nervous about letting their kids play. We need to change that and we can, through promoting initiatives such as Heads Up."
Together, USA Football and the Chiefs continually hold the Kansas City Leadership Forum to make local youth leagues even stronger.
"Having these forums helps with the long term goals of ultimately keeping the kids safer and making the coaches more educated in areas they need to be," Marc Moten said, Wyandotte County Youth Football and Cheer Commissioner.
In addition to hosting this forum, the Chiefs hold an annual youth football celebration game in conjunction with USA Football. The Chiefs also have a number of programs designed to encourage the youth to be active, stay fit and eat healthy.
"The Chiefs are constantly out in the community encouraging young athletes to stay active and healthy," Castellano explained. "The event was a great opportunity for us to continue talking about the importance of health and safety measures. That focus will ensure that youth throughout the entire Chiefs Kingdom gain proper foundation on their journey to future NFL stardom."
To learn more about USA Football and the Heads Up program, visit www.usafootball.com.
