Rec Sports
Guardian caps, new helmets aim to improve safety for young football players
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — New and improved helmet technology was approved by the National Operating Committee on the Standards for Athletic Equipment.
The helmet is lighter and more suitable for youth. While this lighter helmet won’t be available until 2027 and won’t be mandatory, youth leagues around the area will be more than willing to adopt this new equipment to protect the youth.
“I don’t see how you can’t,” former college and NFL football cornerback Carl Lee said. “For the youth kids to play.”
Since retiring from playing and coaching, Lee deals directly with fitting youth for their helmet sizes in South Charleston. Lee does everything he possibly can to make sure the helmet is a perfect fit.
But that’s just part of the problem.
“You got a kid that’s about to your knees, and while the helmet may fit, it’s like two bricks,” Lee said. “He can’t even hold his head up. There has to be more attention paid to youth football and the gear that you’re providing for them.”
Efforts are underway to get guardian caps mandated for middle and high school players. (WCHS)
Everyone wants to be safe but having the ability to provide the newest and best equipment is another challenge that some leagues may struggle to provide. Lee said South Charleston is lucky enough to be one of the leagues that has a budget to provide the safest and best facilities for their kids.
Due to others teams’ and leagues’ budgets, the safety and equipment some kids may get, isn’t on par with what others may receive
“It doesn’t create safety across the league as a whole,” Lee said. “I think us being safe and doing the best we can to be safe, isn’t good for the league. What needs to happen is the league itself, we have to find ways to make every child that plays safe.”
That particular helmet is not available until 2027. Teams right now are doing what they can to provide an extra layer of safety to their kids though the use of newer helmets and mostly guardian caps – a decision that many coaches and league presidents didn’t take lightly.
“We made this decision last year after the tragedy that happened to the young man in Madison Middle,” youth league president David Hopper said. “We bought them the day or the week after that we heard about it on the news.”
The tragedy Hopper is talking about is that of Cohen Craddock in August of 2024. At just 13 years old, Craddock died after a collision at practice caused a brain bleed and swelling, leading to a lack of oxygen.
It sent shockwaves through communities across the state. Craddock’s father continues fighting in his son’s honor in an attempt to get mandatory guardian caps for all middle and high school practices.
The extra protection eases the minds of parents who want to prevent future tragedies from happening to other young athletes.
“I’ve been in the league for about four years now,” Melissa Allen said. “We’ve seen some pretty nasty hits. It definitely eases your mind as a parent to know that there is a little bit more protection. This year, we have seen a lot less injuries. I definitely, think they’re a great addition.”
According to the National Football League, guardian caps absorb 11-12% of impact force and were made mandatory during practice as they try to crack down on concussions and head trauma at the professional level. These protective caps have contributed to a nearly 50% reduction in concussions.
The caps can run roughly $80 per player, which could be a burden for parents who may already be facing financial hardships. Luckily for Ripley Little League, local businesses stepped in and helped provide the caps, helping provide the youth football Vikings the all-important extra layer of protection
“This is our youth,” Allen said. “This is who grows up and takes care of your businesses, and these parents are going to support your business.”
Football is a core memory for millions growing up. Many wouldn’t trade the experiences and life lessons they learned, but parent’s minds are at ease knowing that safety continues to be at the forefront of every league.
“I let my kid play before there were guardian caps,” Allen said. “I do wish there were guardian caps back when he played, but I would let my kid play just because of what football teaches them. It does ease your mind as a parent that there’s some extra protection there now. I love football, I love what it teaches my kid. It teaches them how to be a team player, it teaches them that it’s not only you. You have to work together with people and it teaches you a lot about leadership.”
“I think there’s a danger with anything,” Hopper added. “Just walking down the sidewalk there’s a danger to it. Football builds character. Football builds young men. There’s a trend today to let your kids be safe, be coddled, but it’s important to let them do hard things and football I think is the epitome of that.”