NAofA Announces Partnership with the United States Sports Academy
In our quest to provide the best possible experience for not only the participants in our camps, clinics, classes, and clubs, the National Academy of Athletics is proud to be partnering with the United States Sports Academy to help grow and nurture the dreams of many of our coaches and physical education instructors.
The NAofA has always considered the training of our coaching staff as a crucial piece of providing the best youth sports experience to our young athletes. So much so that we developed an entire curriculum that extends their knowledge well beyond sports fundamentals. Our coaching team must pass background checks and obtain their highly developed NAofA Certification before they can suit up. The NAofA Certification includes mandate reporter, bully prevention, sexual abuse and misconduct awareness, and child supervision safety. That’s just stage one. Coaches are then trained in sports safety- concussion protocol, general first-aid, and emergency procedures. Only then are they ready to learn our trademarked Talk. Teach. Play! coaching methods.
We also encourage our coaches to advance their careers with the NAofA by becoming a Director or Physical Education Instructor- both require additional courses that include operational procedures, relationship development, and even SEL, (Social Emotional Learning) for our Physical Education Instructors. Our coaches are a huge part of what makes the National Academy of Athletics the best provider of youth sports programs nationwide. We wanted to offer more to the future of these immensely dedicated individuals, and that’s where the United States Sports Academy comes in.
The United States Sports Academy offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs as well as certificate programs. Founded in 1972, the academy has provided sports programs to more than 60 countries worldwide. Their alumni feature one of the largest networks in the sports profession. Their passion for educating and sculpting the very best leaders in the sports industry, combined with our in-depth training of youth sports leaders, allowed both organizations to accomplish a need that is very important to us both.
In 2023 we will be working with the USSA to establish their Youth Sports Coach training curriculum, which they will offer in person and online nationwide. In return, the USSA will provide our Certified Coaches the opportunity to expand their sports education and follow a career path through their student services programs.
Aaron Locks, NAofA CEO, said, “This is such a wonderful win for everyone involved. It is scary to think most youth coaches receive less than 2 hours of training or support before heading out to coach their youth sports teams. We are working diligently to bring our Youth Sports Programs to kids across the nation- what better way to excel in this crucial need than to partner with a team that has been educational leaders for decades? The coaches that take advantage of these programs will be so much better prepared to create a better experience for their players and parents.”
By working together, the NAofA and USSA will be able to engage and educate an even larger audience, exponentially enhancing the training opportunities from youth sports parent volunteer coached organizations through elementary, jr. high, and high school coaches. The NAofA is beyond thrilled to support its coaches in growing their professions and fulfilling their dreams.
- National Academy of Athletics
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