Pop Warner, the largest youth football league in the country, will be
offering USA Football's American Development Model this year, the first
national implementation of the U.S. Olympic Committee-backed program
for the sport.
USA Football's ADM, rooted in skill development for
youngsters, provides multiple entry points and game types for the sport.
Under USA Football's recommendation and supporting programs, youth
leagues can offer flag football, rookie tackle — a small-sided, modified
form of tackle piloted in 2017 — and traditional 11-player tackle.
For Pop Warner to adopt the ADM is a major step in youth
football; nearly 200,000 youngsters are enrolled in the organization.
"For
us, nothing trumps safety and we're confident the USA Football ADM is
going to make the experience safer and more enjoyable," says Jon Butler,
Pop Warner's Executive Director.
"With recent changes...things like eliminating kickoffs for our youngest divisions, limiting
contact to 25 percent of all practice time, and requiring clearance from
a medical professional certified in concussion management before a
player with a suspected head injury can return to play, we make our game
better and safer."
"The USA Football ADM will allow kids to
experience the sport at their own pace and it will help us with the
development of both players and coaches."
The American
Development Model has worked well in several other sports whose national
governing bodies, like football, have earned USOC membership. The ADM
program has five key areas, all of which can be applied to youth
football:
- Universal access to create opportunity for all athletes. This means no cuts under age 12.
- Developmentally appropriate activities that emphasize motor and foundational skills.
- Multi-sport participation.
- A fun, engaging and progressively challenging atmosphere.
- Quality coaching at all age levels.
ADM
will be made available to every Pop Warner organization across the
country beginning this fall. The process will begin with messaging to
parents, coaches and players about the philosophy of ADM and its role in
improving the game.
"We will also make all three game
experiences available to every Pop Warner program, which is something
we're quite comfortable with since we already offer both flag and
tackle," Butler said.
"In fact, this past season we piloted USA
Football's rookie tackle program at one of our leagues in Austin, Texas
— Hill Country Pop Warner — and received a very favorable response. We
have gained experience with all the elements of the ADM and we will
encourage our programs to take advantage of it."
USA Football
CEO Scott Hallenbeck has championed his sport's inclusion of ADM, which
has been highly successful in other sports such as ice hockey.
"We're inspired to continue seeking improvements and innovations for football and its athletes," Hallenbeck said.
"We
strongly believe in football's American Development Model to offer a
smart progression, empowering parents and players with multiple entry
points and options to choose from.
"I applaud Pop Warner's
decision to embrace USA Football's ADM and for encouraging their leagues
to make this pathway part of their program."