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sport's governing body, is the organization responsible for selecting and leading the U.S. National Teams. "We are incredibly thankful to the IOC and LA28 Organizing Committee for rec- ognizing flag football as a sport worthy of inclusion in the Olympic Games and we share our excitement and celebrate this historic occasion with the millions of flag football players across our country," says Scott Hallenbeck, CEO of USA Football. "e decision to add flag football to the 2028 Summer Olympic program in Los Angeles is an acknowledgment of the sport's tremendous international growth and appeal as a fast, exciting and competitive sport." According to Hallenbeck, this decision by the IOC confirms that USA Football's year-round efforts to promote football and flag football did not fall on deaf ears. "USA Football works tirelessly to support the sport's exponential growth at all levels by encouraging the creation of more path- ways to play and inclusion in the Olympic Games will have a transformative impact on our sport — from the grassroots level to our elite U.S. National Teams," Hallenbeck adds. "As the governing body of American football in the United States, we are com- mitted to continuing to work closely with IFAF, the USOPC and the NFL as we pursue our collective efforts to grow the game for current and future generations." The Gronk Speaks: Now that flag football is going to be in the Olympics, none other than recently retired NFL star Rob Gronkowski has weighed in with an offer to join the na- tional squad. "Hopefully there's no tryouts and they just accept me," Gronkowski said. "But I'm in. USA going all the way!" Aer a well-documented COVID-fueled dip in enrollment along with most other team sports, youth football is experiencing a bounce back. One of the reasons is cer- tainly because of steps taken to make sure it has never been safer, according to Pop Warner Little Scholars executive director Jon Butler, who has been leading the Pop Warner Football program for the last 32 years. "Since 1929, Pop Warner has been the prominent youth football organization in America," Butler tells Team Insight from his Langhorne, PA, office. "For decades, we've provided kids in communities all across the country an opportunity to play football. As the game has evolved, we've evolved with it and, at many times, spearheaded the way." According to Butler, participation in Pop Warner's youth football program is higher now than during pre-COVID pandemic levels. And from a safety perspective Pop Warner has led the charge to make the game safer and better for young players – for ages 5 to 15 – by instituting a number of measures and protocols over the past decade. "Pop Warner was the first football orga- nization to reduce the amount of physical contact in practices," notes Butler. "We removed the three-point stance and kickoffs for our younger ages and mandated coaching education around how to teach blocking and tackling — all guided by a medical advisory board made up of physicians, researchers, neurosurgeons, sports medicine and con- cussion specialists. "And, while not specific to safety, we are implementing a program that will improve behavior of players, coaches, fans and par- ents. We want the experience of playing youth football to be something positive that influences the lives of these kids for years to come." e Pop Warner Little Scholars program, which has been in existence since 1929, is present in 35 states. "We have hundreds of community as- sociations that run local youth football programs," Butler explains. "Our largest level of participation is for eight-to-11-year olds and the number of players on a team averages around 26." In addition to tackle football, Pop Warner has a widely respected cheer and dance pro- gram and a flag football initiative, which is inclusive of all young athletes who want to participate in a sport, compete and be part of a team. When children are registered to play tackle football under the Pop Warner banner, their registration fee covers paying for helmets, shoulder pads, uniforms, offici- ating fees, insurance, field usage and lighting. It's the responsibility of the players to buy cleats, practice pants, practice jerseys, socks and gloves. n 52 • November/December 2023 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com TEAM OVERTIME Youth Football With Pop Warner

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