Attica Central School Wins $50,000 NFL Grant

The NFL on Tuesday announced that Attica Central School in Attica, NY was one of 15 schools nationwide to each receive a $50,000 grant from the NFL Foundation, the National Athletic Trainers' Association, Gatorade and the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society.  According to the release, Attica is one of the few schools in its conference without an athletic trainer.  The grant will allow the school to hire a full-time certified athletic trainer and purchase the necessary supplies and equipment to provide full athletic training services for all its sports programs.  

According to Jeff Miller, NFL executive vice president of health and safety policy, "this effort addresses a critical need and provides the means for these high schools to establish athletic training programs that will enhance the health and safety of their student athletes."

A recent study from the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that the presence of athletic trainers resulted in lower overall injury rates, improved diagnosis and return-to-play decisions for concussion and other injuries, and fewer recurrent injuries for student athletes.  But nearly two-thirds of high schools lack a full-time athletic trainer and almost thirty percent do not have access to any athletic training services.

Having officiated high school football in New York State and specifically Section VI for 30 years, it's routine for each team's athletic trainer to introduce themselves and make us aware of their presence prior to each game.  It's comforting to know that in an emergency there is somebody qualified on the sidelines to attend to injured players.  But I'm shocked to find that nationwide the majority of schools don't have a full-time athletic trainer.

To date, the grant program has committed more than $3 million to help fund athletic trainers in communities nationwide. It has impacted an estimated 160,000 student athletes across more than 670 schools.