The Legislature of the State of New Jersey passed a bill to raise the awareness of concussions amongst youth athletes. This bill requires coaches to have head injury safety training to help in the recognition of concussions.

• To support this effort, the following was agreed to at the New Jersey Youth Soccer Board of Directors meeting of August 19, 2011 concerning Concussion Awareness Training.
   
• By October 15, 2011 all coaches will be required to have taken the on line Concussion Awareness Training and be able to present their certificate they receive from taking the course.
   
• All clubs will certify to NJYS by October 15, 2011 that their coaches have complied with the Concussion Awareness Training requirement and are able to produce a certificate.  The required Concussion Awareness Certification form is available on the NJYS website.
   
• All coaches will have the certificate with them when they are coaching.
   
• This requirement pertains to both travel and recreation coaches.

EUSA requires ALL Coaches to certify yearly to be in compliance with the NJ law.  There is an online training course that a coach may take that will meet this requirement.  The course is free and will provide you a certificate that you have taken the course at the completion of the course.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports is a free, online course available to coaches, parents, and others helping to keep athletes safe from concussion. It features interviews with leading experts, dynamic graphics and interactive exercises, and compelling storytelling to help you recognize a concussion and know how to respond if you think that your athlete might have a concussion. Once you complete the training and quiz, you can print out a certificate, making it easy to show your league or school you are ready for the season.

Once you've completed the course, send a copy of your completed certificate to:

Edison United Soccer Association

P.O. Box 394

Edison, NJ 08818