North Suburban Football League is a 7th and 8th grade tackle football league in the metro Minneapolis area that consisted of 91 teams from 33 communities in 2016, and the Twin City North Youth Football League, a 2nd -6th grade tackle football league that consisted of approximately 100 teams from 13 communities in 2017. All communities should be using Trusted Coaches and USA Heads Up Football. These organizations are now partnering through MYAS and several excellent alternative packages are now being offered through MYAS. All programs in this league, as a condition of continued participation, must go through the appropriate coach training with respect to safety, concussion awareness, positive coaching, and heat index awareness.
Prior to the 2016 season, we initiated a partnership with Minnesota Youth Athletic Services to implement the Trusted Coaches program for participating communities in the North Suburban Football League (13 of these communities also have their younger players participating in the Twin City North Youth Football League). A significant number of these communities were already using the Trusted Coaches program in other sports, and a few were already using the program for football. Many of these communities of course are also involved with USA Football and the Heads Up Tackling program.
We found the Trusted Coaches program to be a highly effective and cost efficient tool for communities to use for the screening and education of their volunteer youth football coaches. Feedback was positive without exception. Dawson Blanck of Minnesota Youth Athletic Services was extremely helpful with getting coaches from each community registered and providing easy access to the online Trusted Coaches program. The Trusted Coaches program has further contributed to the success of our leagues and I recommend its use by youth football programs as another tool to further the continued success of football in general and youth football in particular.
Very truly yours,
John C. Swanson
Attorney