1. Issue:  All children have the right to participate in tackle football.  It is unfair to deny or limit participation for larger than normal kids in the Regina Minor Football 2000 Inc.  We believe that all kids can safely participate in this league.

2. Proposed motion:  By signing this petition, you support the motion that the Regina Minor Football 2000 Inc. Board of Directors consider the removal of weight limits for the Atom and PeeWee divisions.

3. Discussion: It is our understanding that the Regina Minor Football 2000 Inc. weight limits were put into effect to protect the safety of players.  The safety of players is a primary concern for all parents and coaches, however, according to Sadler Sport & Recreation Insurance, “there is no existing evidence that unlimited classes are riskier than weighted classes” (Sadler, n.d.). 

The primary risk factor for injury is age.  As a result, correct age groupings are critical to limiting injuries; not weight (Sadler, n.d.).  It is best to look to scientific studies on this topic to determine a fair and unbiased decision on this motion.  The following information is provided to assist the Board of Directors in the decision-making process:

-There is a compelling scientific study by the Mayo Clinic that directly supports this motion.  The Mayo Clinic has a stellar reputation in the medical community, and the findings were based on pure science.

-The 1997 Mayo Clinic study of a large youth football league was based on 915 players (ages 9 to 13 in grades 4 through 8).  All of the teams were grouped by grade and weight categories were not used (Sadler, n.d.).

-The critical findings were as follows:

-“A total of 55 injuries occurred during games for the entire season for an incident rate of 5.97 percent
-Most injuries were minor with most being bruise/contusions which accounted for 60 percent of total injuries. Seven percent of total injuries were bad enough to prevent players from participating for the rest of the season; all of these were ankle fractures.
-The risk of injury for an 8th grader was four times the risk of injury for a 4th grader. Therefore, the number one risk factor for injury is age. The higher the age, the higher the chance of injury and as a result, correct age groupings are critical to limiting injuries.
-To the surprise of many, heavier players sustained more injuries than light players. Therefore, specific weight groupings would not appear to protect lighter players” (Sadler, n.d.).

-Dr. Jeff Webb, an associate of the prestigious American Sports Medicine Institute offered the following comments on the Mayo Clinic study:

-“lighter players are not injured more frequently than heavier players, he cited the old formula: force = mass x velocity.
-Older players get hurt much more often because they run faster and hit harder.
-Youth players who are larger don’t necessarily impact with more force if they aren’t fast and strong.
-The number one determining factor of speed and strength is age maturity, not weight.
-He concluded that lighter players would likely be safe within their own age group” (Sadler, n.d.).

- “A study of injuries occurring from 2009 to 2011 in American Youth Football, Inc. indicates that the risks of injuries to lighter players is about the same in the weighted (age groups and maximum weights for all players), modified (age groups and maximum weights for ball carriers only), and unlimited (age groups only) divisions. This is the most recent study to shed light on the hotly debated topic within the youth tackle football community on the pros and cons of weighted vs. unlimited divisions” (Sadler, 2012).

-The new Mighty Mites division (with no weight limit) follows the logic in the 1997 Mayo Clinic study and comments by Dr. Jeff Webb. 

-It is important to note that Bantam, High School, Junior, College and Professional football leagues are not divided by weight classes.  As discussed above, in the Mayo Clinic study, age is the number one risk factor for injury.  If weight limits are not required for older players, why should they be implemented for younger players?

-There is an obesity epidemic in Canada and many overweight children are forced to sit on the sidelines, which could compound the problem and lead to health problems in the future.

-A study by the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports (Faude et al, 2010) concludes that “football training is as efficacious in improving the physical capacity, health-related fitness parameters and self-esteem of overweight children as a standard exercise program. These results provide further evidence that playing football has significant health effects” (Faude, et al, 2010).

-Weight categories that allow younger/heavier players to move up to older divisions places the younger player at an increased risk of injury.

-American Youth Football, Pop Warner Football and other minor football leagues in Saskatchewan offer unlimited weight classes or hybrid approaches.  Therefore, a standard has been set for their acceptability.

-“Weight limits have had a lively debate at the minor level all over Canada. One side of the argument believes that part of the appeal of football is that all sizes can find a position to play. The other side says that safety is the most important issue and that size differences must be regulated rather than using age categories as the only determinant. Some leagues have compromised and said that only ball carriers have weight restrictions. This is an issue your committee will have to decide” (Makowsky, 2008).

-Weight limits in sports can lead children to use unsafe methods to “make weight” (Makowsky, 2008).

Sources:

Faude O., Kerper O., Multhaupt M., Winter C., Beziel K., Meyer T. (2010). Football to tackle overweight in children. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.

Makowsky, Gene. (2008). Growing Minor Football in Saskatchewan. http://www.pcs.gov.sk.ca/Makowsky-Report

Sadler, John (n.d.).  Sadler Sports Insurance; American Youth Football, Inc. Accident Insurance Claim Database.  http://www.sadlersports.com/risk-management/should-weight-limits-be-required-in-youth-football/

Sadler, John (2012). http://www.sadlersports.com/blog/weight-limits-youth-tackle-football-protect-lighter-players/

Stuart, et al. (2002). 1997 Mayo Clinic study. Injuries in Youth Football: A Prospective Observational Cohort Analysis Among Players Aged 9 to 13 Years.