On Thursday, June 9th, roughly 100 mothers of local youth and high school football players gathered with wives and mothers of former NFL players and coaches, local Heads Up Football ambassadors, and health specialists from Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and USA Football's second annual Moms Football Safety Clinic at One Buccaneer Place in Tampa.
Hosted in conjunction with Women of Red – the official Buccaneers fan engagement program for women – the Moms Football Safety Clinic provided a unique opportunity for attendees to learn firsthand from experts in sports medicine from Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, hear from NFL club representatives, and connect with Heads Up Football ambassadors. Centered on USA Football's Heads Up initiative, this free clinic stresses the importance of league certification, proper equipment fitting, hydration and nutrition, and tackling techniques.
"The Buccaneers Women of RED are proud to support the Moms Clinic in its second year," said Buccaneers Director of Community Outreach Eileen Sweeney. "The Clinic is a great resource for the many mothers around the Bay area that are interested in direct interaction with and access to some of the most qualified experts in the area of youth football."
Among the event participants were Chris Golic, NFL Consultant on Youth Football and wife of former NFL player and ESPN personality Mike Golic, Nicole Alstott, wife of Buccaneers Legend and Ring of Honor inductee Mike Alstott, and DeeAnn Becht, wife of Buccaneers Legend and Buccaneers Radio Network Host Anthony Becht.
In addition, attendees heard from Dr. Patrick Mularoni, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Sports Medicine Physician, Sarah Krieger, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Registered Dietician, and USA Football Master Trainer Tod Creneti. The clinic, which was presented with support from Coca-Cola Beverages Florida and the Dairy Council of Florida, began in the team's lobby and continued on the practice fields for live drills and one-on-one football instruction. In its second year, the event proved to be yet another one-of-a-kind experience that RED has provided female Buccaneer fans.
Heads Up Football is a comprehensive youth and high school football membership program developed by USA Football and supported by the NFL and more than two dozen medical, child advocacy and sport organizations. The core elements of the program are: coaching certification; Heads Up Tackling, which is designed to take the head out of the tackle; player safety coaches; proper equipment fitting; concussion education; and hydration and heat emergency preparedness. In the first year of Heads Up Football in 2013, more than 2,700 youth leagues registered for the program, representing approximately 600,000 players and 90,000 coaches.
Women of Red was launched in 2015 with two large-scale events that drew more than 4,000 participants, fueling an even greater interest in the program heading into its second season. Programs such as the Moms Safety Clinic continue to strengthen the Buccaneers' deeper connection with the team's female fan base, including health and wellness initiatives fundamental to the game. To learn more, visit www.buccaneers.com/red.
