Health & Safety

Football is a contact sport with inherent risks and that should be understood before anyone engages in the game. During the course of a year players will likely experience bumps and bruises, they will be tired and need extra rest and they will have to stay hydrated and increase their fluid intake to stay healthy. Injuries can occur although the risk is no greater than in other contact sports. Player safety and well being is the number one priority for Waterloo Region Football. Equipment maintenance guidelines and schedules are strictly adhered to. Directors, coaches and program organizers are constantly reviewing their activities to ensure that the safety of all participants is being met.

Waterloo Region Football trains our coaches and staff in injury prevention by making sure:

• proper playing techniques are taught
• well-fitting and maintained equipment is worn properly
• activities are played within rules that are appropriate to the age and abilities of the players
• all teams conduct their business with a "child first" attitude
• games and practices are well staffed by volunteers

To mitigate these situations and to make every effort to prevent anything greater, your coaches will regularly inspect fields and equipment used for practice and competition. We will be teaching the safest blocking and tackling techniques to help players avoid injury and we will be taking frequent water breaks.

Parents play a role in player safety so please do YOUR part. Make sure your player has a water bottle and keep equipment clean and in good working order, in addition to knowing how the player should properly wear it every time they take the field.

Fitness

We want to help players become fit so that they can play football safely and successfully. By appreciating fitness for its own sake, we can encourage players to want to be in shape on their own, understand the value of fitness and enjoy training. We will strive to make it fun to get fit for football and make it fun to play football.

Concussion Awareness and Return to Play Protocols

 Following any suspected concussion (even if not diagnosed by a medical doctor) team therapists will initiate the concussion protocol. This protocol is in place to ensure the safety and high performance of all players, and must be followed before return to competition. There will be a minimum of 24 hours after the last sign or symptom before beginning protocol or progressing to the next stage. If at any time during the stepwise protocol, the athlete experiences a return of signs (seen by others) or symptoms (experienced by athlete), they will rest until symptom free for 24 hours, then return to and repeat the last completed stage.

Return to Play Protocol

The 6 stages of our mandated return to play protocol can be found here

​Football Canada 72 Hour Rule

Waterloo Region Football continues to follow the changing trends for player safety and therefore adheres to Football Canada's 72 Hour Rule, and as such we DO NOT permit our players to play 2 games within 72 hours. For questions on this rule, please contact president@waterlooregionfootball.com