Effective January 1, 2017, California joins 25 other states that require youth sports organizations to establish concussion protocols for dealing with suspected concussions in participants, information on concussions for athletes and parents, and concussion training for coaches and administrators.
Under the provisions of AB 2007, youth sports organizations will:
- Be required to immediately remove from play an athlete who is suspected of suffering a concussion or head injury
- Prevent that player from returning to play for the remainder of the day and not returning until evaluated by a licensed health care provider who provides a written clearance;
- If the athlete has sustained a concussion there shall be a graduated return to play over seven days after receiving medical clearance to return to play;
- Parents or guardians of players under 18 shall be notified of the date of injury, symptoms observed, and any treatment provided;
- A yearly fact sheet will be provided to all athletes and if the athlete is under seventeen to their parent. The fact sheet shall be signed and returned to AYSO;
- Each Coach and Administrator shall complete concussion training at least once before supervising an athlete in an activity of the youth sports organization.
AYSO has taken several steps to ensure the implementation of the provisions of AB 2007
- AYSO provides a concussion information sheet that players and parents eSign during registration.
- Concussion training can be accomplished online through the AYSO training site, instructions can be found here
- AYSO requires all volunteers complete the training before being approved as a volunteer.
Volunteers who directly access the CDC course must email their completion certificates to CVPA@ayso.org.