My son suffered two concussions within just a few weeks, and other members of his team didn't fare better. This pattern of injuries resulted from playing against schools that are larger and more competitive than ours. The excuse we received was that these larger, more elite teams required our participation to complete their schedules. It's a situation where the sake of competitiveness outweighs children's health and safety - a situation that must change.

This is a clear and present danger to our children. Medical evidence highlights that concussions in youth can have long-term consequences, affecting their cognitive function and neurological development (Boston University, 2019). Children should not be coerced into risking their wellbeing for the sake of others' entertainment or any institution's competition schedule.

We call on the CSAA to take immediate steps to improve the classification of football teams, focusing primarily on athletes' safety. This includes implementing stricter safety measures, such as timely health checks, advanced protective gear, and appropriate match pairings based upon team size and skill level, not their schedule needs.

Our children's health should always be a priority. We envision a future where no child pays the cost of head injuries from games that could have been prevented with better safety measures. It's time to protect our young athletes rather than exploiting them. Please, join us in urging the authorities to take immediate action in classification and safety measures. Please sign this petition.