When the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department found itself in need of a program capable of establishing and maintaining a high level of competency among its youth football coaches, it came to USA Football for a solution.
As a result, the Charlotte, N.C.-area youth organization has mandated that its more than 1,200 youth football coaches study the USA Football Coaches Handbook and pass usafootball.com's Certified Coaching Education Program (CCEP).
The national governing body of America's favorite sport on youth and amateur levels, USA Football continues to develop exciting ways to further strengthen the game. Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department youth football coordinator Akida Jordan explained the value of employing the USA Football curriculum to train coaches responsible for instructing 8,000 youth players.
USA Football's C.C.E.P. encompasses coaching philosophy, practice planning, communicating with young players and parents and how to teach football fundamentals, including proper blocking and tackling techniques though 3-D computer animation and audio narration. Upon course completion, coaches receive a USA Football coaching certificate and have their name added to usafootball.com's national coaches' registry.
"We chose what USA Football offers for coaching education for several reasons," Jordan said. ""It has everything you need including tools such as practice planners and drills, as well as instruction on important subjects such as player safety and game management. It's all inclusive and its easy for our coaches to access and understand."
As part of its "Working to Improve Youth Football" program, Mecklenburg Park and Recreation has presented a PowerPoint presentation leading youth coaches through important subjects such as Football 101, how to teach techniques and fundamentals, as well as offensive, defensive and special teams schemes. The guide also addresses health issues including player hydration, proper practice drills and practice scheduling.
Once coaches have completed the USA Football coaching guide, Mecklenburg Park and Recreation then uses the usafootball.com certification test to establish an education benchmark that crosses all leagues.
"We have received a lot of positive feedback from our coaches, especially the Pop Warner and Police Athletic League coaches who have been introduced to it. We think it's going to have a very positive impact," Jordan said. "We're very pleased."
Click here to learn more about USA Football's commissioner membership benefits.
