Local youth football players now wear cutting-edge helmets designed to diminish the chances of head injuries and, in so doing, maximizing the sport’s positive impacts.

The North Atlanta Football League (NAFL) – a collection of elementary school-age teams that play out of and are associated with the cities of Milton and Alpharetta – recently equipped players with 253 state-of-the-art VICIS helmets. They did so intent on doing all they can to protect players from the potential for head injuries caused by the hundreds of direct and indirect hits they might have each season.

With that in mind, NAFL leaders proactively to set out looking for ways to make the sport even safer for all those in their program. That led them to VICIS, a company that produces helmets designed to better absorb and protect against rotational and direct hits. Research conducted by the NFL and NFLPA (the latter being the player’s union) repeatedly ranks VICIS helmets as among the best, thus safest, of all those tested.

NAFL players received their new helmets in late summer and have been using them throughout fall, including at their home bases of Alpharetta’s North Park as well as Milton’s Bell Memorial Park and Legacy Park. They wear them for all contact practices and games. NAFL owns the helmets, which makes this investment all the more worthwhile since they can be used year-after-year by whoever is on the roster.

“As a league, we’re committed to ensuring every player has access to this top-level protection,” said Tony Palazzo, a NAFL board member who drove the helmet initiative. “… From a coaching perspective, we’re already seeing that the helmets give players a boost in confidence, and parents feel much more at ease seeing their children equipped with advanced safety technology.”   

While the cities of Milton and Alpharetta weren’t directly involved in outfitting players with VICIS helmets, we wholeheartedly support these and other efforts aimed at ensuring our participants’ health and safety. Thank you, NAFL, for stepping up for the good of these children!