Information System for Young Football Athletes Customized Training

Over the last decades Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly being used in sports, especially in professional football, aiming to improve the athletes training and results. However, training systems for young and amateur athletes are not available. Most available systems, lack learning abilities in order to adapt, evolve and find new training recommendations, designed specifically for each athlete. In this paper we introduce the Smart Coach architecture and user adaptation model and present our information system to help young athletes evolve

State of Play 2016: Trends and Developments

Our first annual report on how well stakeholders are serving children and communities through youth sports offers grades, the latest data on participation rates, exclusive insights, and 50+ key developments in the past year in each of the areas of opportunity. The report also identifies next steps in building the movement to make sport accessible and affordable to all.

The development and sustainability of sports-based youth development programs as a viable option for after-school programs

The historical case study was designed to examine how the Play It Smart program, a Sports-Based Youth Development Program, was adopted and sustained by local stakeholders in an urban high school setting after the initial seed funding was cut. Current and past key stakeholders were invited to participate and school leaders (n = 2), community leaders (n = 2), the original Academic Coach (n = 1) and current Academic Coaches (two of which are past program participants) (n = 3) agreed to be interviewed for this investigation. The intent of the interviews was to uncover the key factors that are present that allow the Play It Smart program to sustain itself from year to year as well as how the program has become entrenched into the school culture and the role it plays in the academic and athletic objectives/philosophies of the school. Responses revealed a number of major themes related to the adoption and ongoing commitment to sustain the program for the last 16 years. These themes included an initial pledge from the stakeholders to restore the academic and athletic reputation at the school, the recognition of the relationship with the original Academic Coach and the positive results that were repeatedly promoted, the recruitment and buy-in from a collection of traditional and non-traditional allies including the students and, ultimately, a shift in culture that seems to stem from a dynamic group of past participants that provides hope. The themes related to sustainability seem to further validate the theoretical framework that was so critical for the establishment of the Play It Smart programs in that: the context, football (sport) and academic performance, is also valued by stakeholders; the primary external asset, the caring adult mentor or Academic Coach, was able to attract and involve other assets to support the participants; the internal assets, life skills, were developed and refined while participating in community service activities which serve as the regular highlights shared with stakeholders throughout the school year; and the evaluation was designed to promote progress and to allow for adjustments

Improving Communication for St. John Fisher Football

The reason for the study conducted relates back to working to improve the St John Fisher football teams communication with its main stakeholders .I worked for the St. John Fisher football team and noticed a communication issue between the team and its main stakeholders being the parents. It caused a lot of issues that were seen working while with team so a solution in order to help these things out was something that looked needed. The communication between the team and its stakeholders was not very good. What was done to find the best way to improve the study was present a questionnaire survey to the main stakeholders of the program that included the parents, alumni, fans, and boosters. These participants were accessed via their emails that were found through Coach Vosburgh and his parent email list. There was a total of 51 people who participated in the study. The data that was received was all quantitative data. The main variables found were what device they used most how often they are on those devices. The results that stuck out most was that email and text were the most obvious easiest ways to communicate with these stakeholders and that the football program needs to delegate 1 staff member to do all this communicating. This means that this member of the staff should set up a email list with the stakeholders and a mass text that helps him communicate with everyone as a whole unit

A Systematic Review of Smartphone Applications for Parent, Coach, and Referee Sideline Concussion Symptom Identification and Intervention in Youth Soccer

BACKGROUND: It is the collective responsibility of coaches, referees, and parents to identify the signs and symptoms of a concussion, assess a player’s acute medical condition, and report their observations. Increasing concussion awareness and empowerment of these entities is critical to ensure that concussions are properly managed, risk is reduced, and effects are mitigated. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review was to provide youth soccer organizations and relevant parties with the most relevant, factual evidence-based smartphone applications for recognizing the signs and symptoms of concussions in youth sports. METHODS: An evidence-based standard for concussion symptoms and identification was identified from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s HEADS UP to Youth Sports website. This baseline info was used to evaluate smartphone application’s degree of complete and accurate information about the signs and symptoms of concussion. A keyword search on Apple’s ‘App Store’ was performed to identify sideline concussion evaluation applications. Seven criteria were developed to evaluate the applications for meeting security and performance standards. RESULTS: The ‘concussion’ keyword search yielded forty-seven (47) smartphone applications for review and evaluation. These applications were screened against the seven criteria: eight met all criteria. A detailed review of each of the eight applications was performed, noting strengths and weaknesses. Four of the eight applications were deemed “recommended”. CONCLUSION: The four applications that met the objective were recommended for download by youth sport parents, referees, coaches and players: Concussion Smart (v 1.2), Concussion Coach (v 1.0.1), Concussion Management (v 1.0), and Concussion Awareness (v 1.0.0)

Sport for All Play for Life: A Playbook to Get Every Kid in the Game

Over the past two years, Project Play has convened more than 250 thought leaders in a series of roundtables, identifying strategies that can address barriers limiting access to early sport activity that fosters the development of healthy children and communities. This 50-page report aggregates the eight most promising strategies. Authored by the Sports & Society Program with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Sport for All, Play for Life: A Playbook to Get Every Kid in the Game is a unifying document, collecting in one place the best opportunities for stakeholders -- from sport leaders to mayors, parents to policymakers -- to work together to grow access to an early, positive sport experience