Heartland Soccer Club: NYSA
Concussion Policy and Education Resources

In compliance with Tennessee legislation, Public Chapter 148 (click here for full text of the law in PDF format), which was passed by the State of Tennessee Legislature on March 21, 2013, signed into law on April 12, 2013, and became effective on January 1, 2014, Heartland Soccer Club: NYSA has adopted guidelines and forms as developed by the Tennessee Department of Health to inform and educate coaches, young athletes, and their parents or guardians of the nature, risk and symptoms of concussion and head injury.

Every individual involved in youth athletics must become more proactive in identifying and treating athletes who show signs of concussion or head injury. In order to address this critical issue, it is therefore Heartland Soccer Club: NYSA’s policy that:

Any player who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness, confusion or balance problems, shall be immediately removed from the game and shall not return to play until cleared by an appropriate health care professional.

Education is the key to identifying and treating youth athletes who show signs of a concussion during athletic participation. It is very important that every administrator, coach, parent, official, athlete and health-care professional know the symptoms and steps to take when dealing with student-athletes that display signs of a possible concussion. Concussion can be a serious health issue and should be treated as such.

As part of the law, all league administrators, officials, coaches, and assistant coaches must participate in a concussion education program prior to the start of each season. In addition, each season parents of every player must review concussion education materials and policy and then sign a document stating that they have done so. It should be noted that this all must occur before a team conducts its first practice.


Important documents for Heartland Soccer Club: NYSA players, parents, and coaches:

Full text of Heartland Soccer Club: NYSA Concussion Policy (PDF format)

Concussion Information and Signature Form for Coaches (PDF format) - every coach must sign

Concussion Information and Signature Form for Athletes and Parents/Legal Guardians (PDF format) - every parent must sign

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Concussion Signs and Symptoms Checklist (PDF format)

Tennessee Concussion Return to Play Form (PDF format) - must be signed by a doctor if a player is removed for suspected concussion


Free online training courses:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Heads Up Online Training Course

National Federation of State High School Associations training: "Concussion in Sports – What You Need to Know"


Other resources:

Tennessee Department of Health Concussion Information

Tennessee Protocol for Registered Officials (PDF format)

Tennessee Protocol for Community-based Organization Representatives (PDF format)