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Dec, 2019

Atlanta Youth Rugby and The Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute Bring SafePlay, a 360-degree Ap

Atlanta Youth Rugby and the Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute announced today the launch of SafePlay, a groundbreaking 360-degree approach to maximizing player safety. To promote safety awareness and prevention of unsafe play, Atlanta Youth Rugby (AYR) and the Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute (NHOI) developed SafePlay focused around education, prevention and training.

“The safety of our players is our top priority. By partnering with the NHOI to develop SafePlay, our players and coaches have access to the best support available both on and off the field,” said Anton  Forbes-Roberts, CEO of AYR. “Through integrating education, prevention and training into the program, safety is at the center of our trainings, practices and games.”

SafePlay started as a way to help guide and add structure for player welfare. Through the partnership with AYR and NHOI, the guide has been further developed into a policy and player welfare program.  The Safeplay platform is used to educate coaches and parents on injuries, injury prevention and technique to reduce injury likelihood in an effort to protect the athletes and ensure a high-quality game. 

“SafePlay is a comprehensive approach to the wellbeing of the athletes. By focusing on small details of the game we can make a collective effort to reduce injury likelihood by teaching basics such as falling and crawling to neck strengthening.  All with the mindset of how to help teach our athletes how to protect themselves while playing the game,” said Brian Finn, Medical Advisor for AYR and Lead Athletic Trainer NHOI “In addition, most youth programs will rent medical services for matches at certain age grades or the league may stipulate that they need to have a medical professional on the sidelines in order to play the game.  Not only does AYR have ATC’s on the sideline for every match but they also have NHOI to provide comprehensive healthcare for the program.”

EDUCATION

          USA Rugby 100 Course: All coaches are required to be USA Rugby 100-Level certified coaches, which includes a World Rugby concussion education course.

          Parent Concussion Awareness: All parents are given a fact sheet about prevention, identification, treatment, and proper return to play protocols for their children.

          Law of the Week Program: Each team participates in AYR's "Law of the Week", which helps educate players on the sometimes complex rules of the game.
 

PREVENTION

          Baseline Concussion Testing: All players are required to complete the online baseline concussion testing before season registration.

          Progressive Contact Training: All players and teams work through age-appropriate contact progressions and drills during practices. 

          Trainers and USA Rugby Referees: All matches have a certified athletic trainer and registered USA rugby referee in attendance. This ensures the game is kept safe, and players with suspected head injuries are removed and evaluated from the pitch as quickly as possible.

TRAINING

          Preseason Conditioning and Skills: Players that have better fitness have more control of their body and can continue safe contact when fatigued. November and December pre-season practice focuses on building this fitness incrementally.

          SafePlay Rules: All coaches, players, and referees are required to watch the SafePlay law videos before participating with a contact AYR team. This ensures all participants are on the same page of what is expected in safe contact.

          Mandatory Practice Standards: Safe contact skills and standards are discussed and shared by coaches. All coaches are responsible for incorporating high standards of tackling and elements of safe contact during practices.

 

About The Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute 

The Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute offers the comprehensive care and personalized approach that every athlete needs. We have a team that provides expertise in performance services, injury prevention, athletic training, and orthopedic surgery – plus orthopedic and sports medicine care for children. With a wide range of specialties, the Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute is your source of strength.

Atlanta Youth Rugby, Inc.

 
Atlanta, Georgia  
Phone : 404-719-8020
Email : [email protected]
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