The Missouri Athletic Trainers' Association (MoATA) has organized a "Safety in Football Campaign" in order to promote increased safety in football in the State of Missouri.  It is the goal of the "Safety in Football Campaign" to help each and every football team in Missouri to identify ways in which they can lessen the risks of injury and keep the focus on the fun and camaraderie of football.
 
Beginning this season, numerous high schools and colleges will be donning a small helmet sticker on the back of each player's helmet.  The sticker represents the cumulative efforts of these schools and the Athletic Training community towards improving safety in youth football in the state of Missouri.
  In a partnership between the two schools, Northwest Missouri State and Missouri Western football student-athletes will have the safety sticker affixed to their helmets for Thursday's game at Bearcat Stadium. The Bearcats and Griffons will kick off at 7 p.m.
 
Bearcat football athletic trainer Liz Hevern said the approach to player safety and concussions is taken very seriously at Northwest Missouri State.
 
"I'm proud of the protocols we have in place because they are top of the line," Hevern said. "It's not just Division II, the baseline testing and objective measurements we use are among the best in the entire nation. It also helps that Joe Quinlin (strength coach) works with balance, neck strength and getting the players to know their bodies."
 
Hevern said player safety starts at the beginning with Pre-Participant Exams (PPE).
 
"We are able to exam our athletes from head to toe, all the joints and test their strengths and weaknesses," Hevern said. "During the PPE we can address pre-existing injuries and how to avoid them coming back."
 
When it comes to athletic training it is a whole lot more than just taping ankles and rehabilitating injuries.
 
"It is so much more than physical," Hevern said. "It is more mental than most people think. When players get injured, you want to keep them engaged so they don't feel like they are no longer a part of the team. Mental health is so important and we treat it as such."
 
Football is one of the most popular sports among youth athletes, and it leads all other sports in the number of injuries sustained.  According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, "in 2007, more than 920,000 athletes under the age of 18 were treated in emergency rooms, doctors' offices, and clinics for football related injuries."  According the Korey Stringer Institute which researches sudden death in sport, 13 high school and one youth football players died during the 2015 football season.
 
Each year coaching staffs across the state spend numerous hours coaching, teaching, and mentoring football athletes on skill development, technique, and safety in the game of football.  Unfortunately these efforts in themselves are not sufficient to mitigate the inherent risks of the sport.  This is why athletic trainers are such vital components of safe and successful football teams. "Athletic trainers are highly qualified, multi-skilled health care professionals who collaborate with physicians to provide preventative services, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions." – National Athletic Trainers' Association.  
 
All across the state of Missouri, athletic trainers are providing their clinical skill and expertise each and every day to improve the overall health and safety of their athletes.  According to a study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the presence of athletic trainers in the secondary schools lowers overall injury rates, improves diagnosis and return-to-play decisions, and reduces the risk for recurrent injuries.  In fact, the placement of athletic trainers in every secondary school that offers an athletic program is recommended by both the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.
 
  However, even if a school or athletic association does not have access to the healthcare    
  services of an athletic trainer, there are still simple steps that every program or association can
  put in place to improve safety in football. 
         
*Providing a properly and regularly maintained Automated External Defibrillator
(AED) at all practices and games
*Coordinating Venue-Specific Emergency Action Plans with your local Emergency
Medical Services provider
*Helping provide CPR/First Aid/AED Training for those who oversee youth athletes
          *Having immediate access to cold-water immersion tubs during periods of hotter and
more humid climates
          *Enforcing current safety measures designed to eliminate head-first collisions
                     
There are tremendous benefits for athletes who participate in football.  These athletes have increased self-esteem, lower dropout rates in school, and demonstrate a stronger involvement in their school and community.  It is the goal of the "Safety in Football Campaign" to help each and every football team in Missouri identify ways in which they can lessen the risks of injury and keep the focus on the fun and camaraderie of football.
 
Throughout the regular season for the 2018 high school season the Missouri Athletic Trainers Association will send out a weekly tip/information through social media platform to help further educate important topics in the sport today.  Please follow along as we do so @MOATA1984 on Twitter.
 
To learn more about Safety in Football contact Northwest Missouri State head athletic trainer Kelly Quinlin at 660-528-1670 or via email at kellyq@nwmissouri.edu.
 
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About The Missouri Athletic Trainers' Association (MoATA)
The Missouri Athletic Trainers' Association purpose is to advance the athletic training profession by enhancing professional and leadership abilities and by providing encouragement, mentorship and improvement of opportunities in the profession of athletic training in the State of Missouri. For more information on the Missouri Athletic Trainers Association, visit moata.net