USA Football, The Bill Belichick Foundation and Safety Tag teamed up this season to promote fun and safety within youth football. The joint effort kicked off the youth football season with a safety clinic for parents, players and coaches in one Massachusetts league.

Masconomet youth football began its 2016 season with a safety clinic organized by USA Football and the Belichick Foundation. During the clinic, more than 180 players from third through eighth grade were given hands-on instruction from USA Football Master Trainers.

The Master Trainers provided fundamental instruction based on Heads Up Football techniques, which is a comprehensive program developed by USA Football to advance player safety within football. The youth athletes were shown the proper technique and posture for making tackles. Parents were also involved and received instructions on concussion protocol, heat and hydration as well as proper equipment fitting.

Players who attended the clinic were provided with a complimentary Safety Tag account. Founded in 2013, Safety Tag is a mobile platform that fosters more effective communication between parents, coaches and league administrators. Specifically, Safety Tag is an updateable database that stores an individual player’s medical information, emergency contacts and emergency action plans, which are provided by the player’s parents. Having the ability to access the information on the go allows parents to upload important health updates in real-time. Simply using a smartphone allows a coach to access his player’s information at any time, which provides coaches and league administrators with timely and up-to-date player information.

The Belichick Foundation initially partnered with Safety Tag in August 2015 and coach Belichick indicated his belief in the importance of this technology.

“Safety on the field is critical in the world of youth sports, where there often isn’t a team doctor or group of trainers like there is in the NFL. Timely access to information can make a big difference,” said coach Belichick.

The technology is important, especially considering that 14 percent of kids between the ages of five and 18 years old often suffer from chronic illnesses. Knowing a player’s potential illnesses can assist coaches and league administrators in taking effective action to ensure a child’s well-being. These illnesses can include asthma, allergies, diabetes and previous concussions. For the Belichick Foundation, the goal of the partnership is to foster a better environment for youth athletes who are interested in the game of football.

“The focus fits right in line with the mission of our foundation, and enables us to impact the game of football where it is played. We’re proud to help roll out Safety Tag’s innovative technology to sports programs that will benefit from it.”

By partnering with Safety Tag, the Belichick Foundation expands on its mission to make the game safer.