The Safety Rulebook

While coaches can take an active role in injury prevention by coaching safer tackling and blocking techniques, football’s governing bodies can have a lasting impact for all teams by tweaking rules designed to ensure player safety.Governing organizations – including the NCAA, the National Federation of High Schools, and Pop Warner – have instituted new rules that go into effect this fall to help ensure the safety of players.NCAAThe NCAA approved a number of new rules to help overall safety.- The Player Rules Oversight Panel approved moving kickoffs to the 35-yard line starting this fall (from the 30). Players on the kicking team cannot line up for the kickoff behind the 30 yard line, which is intended to limit the running start by kicking teams. Touchbacks will be moved to the 25-yard line instead of the 20 to encourage more touchbacks. The recommended changes came from the