Indianapolis, IN (July 8, 2019) – USA Football, the sport’s national governing body and a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and TeachAids, a nonprofit leader in global education innovation, today announced a groundbreaking partnership. The organizations will work together to advance smarter play across America’s favorite sport through TeachAids’ CrashCourse curriculum.
CrashCourse is an interactive learning experience developed to improve awareness and understanding surrounding concussions among youth and high school athletes across the country. TeachAids worked directly with leading experts in education and medical research to provide the most up-to-date scientific knowledge and dispel myths and misconceptions about the concussion recovery process. Nationally acclaimed coaches and NFL-bound college student-athletes also lent insight to create an engaging experience that caters to young players.
USA Football will make CrashCourse available on usafootball.com at no cost for America’s football family. USA Football, which certifies the greatest number of coaches annually among U.S.O.C. members, is the first national governing body of a sport to award young athletes a certificate of completion after successfully finishing the CrashCourse curriculum.
“Education is the key to smarter play across all sports and is a vital part of how we reimagine football, especially at youth and high school levels,” said USA Football CEO Scott Hallenbeck. “Beyond the more than 600,000 high school and youth coach certifications that have been completed through USA Football since 2012, our exciting, new partnership with TeachAids expands our educational reach for young athletes and their families.”
“We must make this game as safe as possible for all who play it”, explained David Shaw, CrashCourse advisor and Stanford University’s all-time winningest football coach. “Providing compelling and accurate education to our young players, their parents and coaches is the key.”
“An effective sport model truly does begin at the youth level,” agreed Brian Hainline, MD, NCAA Chief Medical Officer and chairman of USA Football’s Football Development Model Council. “CrashCourse is an innovative and engaging tool that teaches young people how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a concussion, as well as how to empathize with those who experience this injury. The impact is invaluable.”
“We are excited to partner with USA Football. Together we will educate and improve the safety for millions of youth athletes across our nation,” said Dr. Piya Sorcar, founder and CEO of TeachAids.
To learn more about CrashCourse, please visit: https://teachaids.org/for-concussions/crashcourse/.
About USA Football
USA Football designs and delivers premier educational, developmental and competitive programs to advance and grow the sport. As the sport’s national governing body, member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and organizer of the U.S. National Team for international competition, USA Football partners with leaders in medicine, child advocacy and athletics to support positive football experiences for youth, high school and other amateur players.
About TeachAids
TeachAids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social venture that creates breakthrough software addressing numerous persistent problems in health education around the world. CrashCourse is the second free health education program launched by TeachAids in collaboration with Stanford University, following the global success of its award-winning HIV/AIDS interactive software, which is used in 82 countries around the world. For more information on TeachAids visit TeachAids.org or follow us on Twitter @TeachAids, Facebook @TeachAids, YouTube at TeachAids, and Instagram at @teachaids.
