CSRA Spring Football League (CSFL) is THE ONLY competitive tackle football league held during the spring. The age groups range from 6-14.

In accordance with Georgia law and national playing rules published by the National Federation of State High School Associations, any athlete who exhibits signs, symptoms, or behaviors consistent with a concussion shall be immediately removed from the practice or contest and shall not return to play until an appropriate health care professional has determined that no concussion has occurred. (NOTE: An appropriate health care professional may include licensed physician (MD/DO) or another licensed individual under the supervision of a licensed physician, such as a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or certified athletic trainer who has received training in concussion evaluation and management.

No athlete is allowed to return to a game or a practice on the same day that a concussion

(a) has been diagnosed

(b) cannot be ruled out.

Any athlete diagnosed with a concussion shall be cleared medically by an appropriate health care professional prior to resuming participation in any future practice or contest. To add more clarity to the league policy, the following are the progressive steps to return to play: The first treatment for a concussion is 1 to 2 days of rest, both physical and mental. After resting, the athlete can gradually increase activity if it does not cause new symptoms or worsen his symptoms.

The athlete should slowly progress through the following levels of activity:

1. Limited activity. The athlete can take part in daily activities as long as the activity does not increase symptoms or cause new symptoms.

2. Light aerobic activity. This includes exercises at less than 70% maximum heart rate. No resistance training is included.

3. Football exercises. This includes drills but no head impact.

4. Non-contact training drills. This includes more complex training drills such as passing. The athlete may also begin light resistance training.

5. Full-contact practice. The athlete can participate in normal training.

6. The athlete must be symptom-free for 24 hours at the current level of activity before moving on to the next step. If one or more symptoms return, the player needs to go back to the previous level of activity with no symptoms for at least 24 hours before trying to do more.

7. A doctor must make the final decision about whether a player is ready to return to full-contact play. That decision must be documented with a return to play date: the paperwork turned into the league.

Thanks Gregg Rodgers President