Pop Warner Becomes 1st National Football Organization to Ban Kickoffs

Pop Warner Football announced the formal ban of kickoffs for its three youngest leagues Thursday, citing the safety of players. 

“We are constantly working to make the game safer and better for our young athletes, and we think this move is an important step in that direction,” Pop Warner executive director Jon Butler said in a statement. "Eliminating kickoffs at this level adds another layer of safety without changing the nature of this great game. We are excited to look at the results at the end of the year as we explore additional measures."

The rule change will ban all kickoffs in Tiny Mite (five-to-seven years old), Mitey Mite (seven to nine) and Junior Pee Wee (eight to 10) games. Teams will instead start at their own 35-yard line. Older divisions may also implement the change after the 2016 season. 

Pop Warner is the first national football organization to ban kickoffs. It's a fundamental change in how the sport is played but isn't a surprise given the shifts that have occured at the highest levels of the sport.

The NFL has made multiple changes in recent years aimed at making kickoffs safer. In 2011, the competition committee voted to move kickoffs up five yards to the 35. That change has led to a drastic uptick in touchbacks, with 23 teams having at least 50 percent of their kicks result in them last season. In the season before the change, no team hit the 50 percent mark, per Team Rankings.

The NFL doubled down on its push this offseason, moving up touchbacks to the 25-yard line. Once again, this one-year rule change is designed to incentivize kick returners to kneel the ball down rather than bring it out. This change is less straightforward—kick returners are still paid to make big plays after all—but is also a sign the NFL may someday follow in Pop Warner's lead.

While they're a small part of the game, kickoffs and punt returns are among the most dangerous plays in terms of big hits. Few other plays within the regular confines of the game have players charging at one another at full speed. In 2014, Green Bay Packers running back Johnathan Franklin was forced to retire due to a neck injury suffered while returning a kickoff.

The push to prevent these injuries at the professional level makes it a no-brainer for youth leagues. Even with all the safety initiatives, these are still growing kids who are being coached by volunteers. Safety should be paramount, as it would be unrealistic to expect children to have the body control and general awareness to hit "safely" at all times.

As the push to ban youth football grows around the United States, it's on organizations like Pop Warner to ensure the utmost safety of these kids.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter